The Bonds that Hold
by Varmint
Summary: Wally is abused by his parents. That doesn't bother him much, though, he deserves it. But his erratic behavior is now starting to peek through the masks he masterfully created and his uncle and friends are starting to catch on. How far, though, is Wally willing to go to hold on to his miserable life? Warning: Child abuse, underage drinking, Wally whump, and more dark bits.
1. Chapter 1

_Wallace Rudolph West was one hell of an actor._

 _If any of his friends heard anyone say that, they'd immediately deny it and say Wally must have been the worst liar they had ever seen in their lives. But that was just it. Wally was a terrible liar. But Wally just was a mask. A mask Wallace wore whenever outside of his home to keep others from ever even coming close to the truths he hid._

 _Sometimes, he regretted being so good at hiding his true pain. At one point or another, the beatings had become so much that the boy just wanted to run over to Gotham, throw himself into his best friend's arms, and allow the Dark Knight to take all kinds of horrible revenge on the people that had hurt him._

 _But he could never bring himself to do that. He could never put himself through the emotional pain that would come from his friends finding out he was being abused. He could never be able to make himself live through the pitiful glances that would undoubtedly be sent his way from people that thought they were being completely inconspicuous. He just couldn't._

 _So he stayed quiet. Wallace Rudolph West put his body through hell day in and day out like clockwork from both his hero work and his normal life at home._

 _And he just grinned and bared it because, really, what was so bad about this? Sometimes he did deserve to be called out for being worthless and eating his parents out of house and home. Sometimes he needed to be reminded that the world would be better off without him. And sometimes he just deserved the bruises given by his father for being a complete loser._

 _He was Wallace Rudolph West, a teen that was hurt by his parents. And nobody knew just how great a mask could be until it cracked and fell apart._

* * *

I was aware of having two masks. They were the only reason I hadn't yet tried to do anything stupid.

The first was the one I used the most, Wally. I was Wally whenever I went out of my home and I smiled as bright as the sun to keep people from figuring out just what Wally was. He was the bright child with a short attention span that somehow always managed to get himself in trouble. And Wally was a huge hit because of his ignorance.

Then the second one was the mask I used whenever I had to lie. Wally would warp into something that was akin to a shell, with serious frown replacing his usual smile. This mask I wore whenever my aunt or uncle asked seriously if I was okay. I only really had to wear it every once in a while, whenever the cracks in Wally became apparent.

And finally, there was the real me. The once-ignorant child that was now more than painfully aware of the terrible truths this world held. There were no such thing as fairy tale endings in this world. There was no beautiful princess for me to save and there were no magical beans to get me out of my worldly problems.

I was a teenager that was wrapped around in deceit and lies, and I told them not only to my friends, but also to my family. Hell, I don't think there was anyone I _didn't_ lie to.

But lying had just become second nature...

 _"Where did you get that bruise?" Robin asked as soon as he saw me walk into the Mountain with a slight limp._

 _With a busted lip I smiled, "I took down Cold all by myself yesterday!"_

Lies were so easy to tell when compared to the truth. I mean, at first, when I still wasn't ready to lie, my throat would close up and my chest would tighten when I even thought of saying something that wasn't true. Now, though, it was the exact opposite. I would have those same symptoms when I tried to tell anyone the truth. So I just lied. Because lying was so much _easier_.

Sometimes I would wonder why I was stuck with this reality. Why did I- the one and only Kid Flash- have to be caught in a negligent household? Why had I been given these terrible cards to play?

But whenever I thought of that, I would bitterly remind myself of how much of a failure I was. I mean, not one mission had gone smoothly. And it was always my fault that we were caught. I would always trip over my feet or my stomach would growl and then we found ourselves fighting for our lives while the rest of my team tried to keep their annoyance with me to a minimum.

I didn't deserve any better. I _deserved_ a father that reminded me how useless I was. And having a mother that put her and her husband's needs before my own was pretty justified in my book. I had earned this for being such a loser. I had earned the right to be abused.

Now I sat at my bedroom's desk, Chemistry homework splayed all around me as the English paper I had to write on my laptop taunted me. I had only gotten past my teacher's name before giving up.

About a day ago, Uncle Barry had told me about a teenage party the CCPD had broken up. He vividly described all of the alcohol that was confiscated and how many kids went to Juvie or back home with a huge grounding, but I didn't believe him. Why? Because I knew all of those kids. And they were already planning a party for tomorrow, Friday night.

That's when I received a text message on my phone.

It was from Mike, a guy I only spoke to whenever he wanted me to complete his science homework.

~Hey, Four Eyes. Thrs a prty tmrw. Kate md m inv u. Comin?~

His spelling was atrocious and I cringed internally as I read the message, but I couldn't help but smile softly to myself. Mike was a popular kid, the usual team captain with the blonde bombshell of a cheerleader for a girlfriend. He was bad news, but I only ever helped him with his homework. This was the first time I was ever invited to do anything with him.

Just then my phone alerted me of yet another message.

~Hey, Wall-Man, Roy and I are up for a round of CoD tomorrow. Wanna hang?~

I glared softly at the screen as I shook my head at Dick's message.

I needed a break from the lies. And I needed to relax.

~Sorry, Dick. Can't. I'm helping Kate with some homework.~ I typed quickly and sent the message to Dick, then sent my acceptance to the party to Mike.

~U jst md Kate happy Good job~

With an intake of breath, I got up from my desk and walked towards my door. From there I stuck my head into the hallway and called, "Hey, mom! Can I go study with Kate tomorrow night? We have a test on Wednesday."

"I don't give a shit what you do, kid!" My father groused back and I only smiled.

Yes, both my masks were good when around my friends. But sometimes even a master liar needed to rejoice in the truth.

 **I hope you really liked it! Please review.**


	2. Chapter 2

The next day at school was rather boring. Not one single interesting event occurred, or, at least, one I found completely amazing.

Unless, of course, you deem my lunch as anything memorable. Because, thinking back on it, what happened that period was more than a bit out of the norm. It was actually pretty unusual.

On any other day, you should have found me eating alone, either in the table farthest from people and closest to the trash cans or maybe in the hallway in front of the Chemistry classroom. But I was always alone, no matter where I chose. No one ever wanted to be near me and James and Hartley were too busy becoming Rogues to come to school anymore.

And I thought I'd be eating my rather small lunch- which was still pretty big for normal people- in my small corner by the Chemistry classroom like always but Kate and Mike intercepted me before I could head over in the direction of the hallway.

"Come on, Four Eyes." The much bigger teen grunted as he held onto his and Kate's lunch trays, dark brown eyes boring into me.

My eyes widened at their sudden appearance and his words, but Kate only smiled sweetly at me. "Wally, come with us. You're going to one of my parties so you should really start hanging with us, don't you think?"

The logic wasn't totally flawed, I had to give it to her as I thought on the whole thing later on. If someone was accepted by their popularity fold, they _should_ hang out during lunch... But... I was _me_... Nerdy little Wally. The kid that couldn't play any sport, even if his life depended on it. So just why would the most popular couple in the school want me anywhere near them?

"Get moving, Nerd." Mike grunted once more and he moved to stand behind me, then kicked in a soft yet harsh manner at the bend of my knee left knee. "You can't possibly be this slow."

The brusque treatment was enough to get me moving and soon enough I found myself following Kate as Mike trailed behind me. I was led to their usual table, and there I found about a dozen or more teens laughing and talking loudly while boisterous rap music blasted from speakers that were placed at the middle of the table.

"Mikey!" A teen with close cropped dirty blonde hair and hazel eyes called as he stood up to greet his friend, "Who's the fresh meat?" He then asked, eyes flicking over my body.

Self consciously I shuffled my feet and looked down at my tray, my green eyes doing their best to not look at any of the people there.

These guys were the dangerous people in my school. Popularity equated to bad rep, so these teens really did anything to keep their position. Alcohol, marijuana, and other recreational drugs were things you would normally find in any of their homes. Hell, underage drinking and driving, crashing, and even vandalizing didn't even come close to the most dangerous thing any of them had ever done.

From what I heard, the only reason some of them hadn't yet been expelled from school was because they brought in some very needed talent to the sports teams. Hell, I was sure that at least half of the football team was injecting themselves with some type of anabolic steroids.

"Guys, this is Wally West. I'm sure you know him from Chem class." Kate presented me, wrapping one of her arms around my shoulders.

I could hear a growl, "Yeah, he's that nerd that got me in trouble!" Then, as he spoke, a kid with long black hair pulled back in a pony tail stood up, "I got suspended fr two games 'cause of him!"

Under normal circumstances, I would have kept quiet and taken the anger thrown my way. But it seemed like both Mike and Kate were slightly interested in me. And- seeing how I needed some mindless distractions in my life- I wanted to keep that interest up. So I did the only thing that could keep me from seeming like a complete loser to the two that had invited me here.

"No, it wasn't my fault, ignoramus." I answered with a roll of my eyes, then smirked at him. "You got suspended because you were dumb enough to blow up half of the lab. All because you didn't want to listen to this 'nerd'."

Silence reigned over the table after I had spoken up and Lil' Wayne's terrible rhymes were all that were heard, but soon enough Kate was smiling broadly at me and hugging me tightly.

"Now you see he deserves to be here! Besides, I'm sure he can help us all with our homework!"

In retrospect, I should have known that was the only reason Kate even knew my name. But I didn't mind any extra work if I got paid the right price.

I smiled slyly at him, "Of course I can help with that. For the right price, though."

Silence once more, then the first kid to have spoken up, the guy with the close cropped hair, spoke up, "I'll give you ten dollars if you do my math homework."

I looked him straight into his eyes and thought about the proposition. If my uncle found out I was charging people to do their homework, he'd get all pissed off with me. I mean, it was a type of cheating... But... Easy money, man.

"Make it fifteen and I'll have it ready by tomorrow morning."

With a whoop, the teen jumped to me and smacked me hard on the back, which almost made my lunch fly out of its tray, but I couldn't help but smile as everyone began to talk once more.

Apparently, I had found a way to enter this strange group of popular jocks... And I had no idea how.

Now that I was getting prepared for Kate's party, I had time to actually think about how it happened.

And I had two very likely theories, which I liked neither of. The first was that they were acting like my friends and inviting me out to parties just because they wanted to prank me horribly, a la Carrie. But that was kind of far fetched because these guys hadn't shown much hate for nerds like me over the years, only annoyance. But in my school, you did anything you had to survive. So nerds usually did jock's homework just to not get pummeled.

So, yeah, there weren't many cases of that in my school.

Then the other theory was that they wanted me around because I was easy access to all homework. Not only that, but the Chemistry teacher trusted me enough that he sometimes left the door open for me to make my experiments without any supervision. So maybe they could get something from the labs, but, like stated before, these guys had other nerds on their pay rolls. They didn't need to befriend anyone to get homework done or acquire access to the lab.

Just why were they being so nice to me, then?

As I thought about this with a frown on my face, my phone buzzed to life. Looking down at the caller I.D, I found that Dick was calling me. I picked up quickly after noticing who it was.

"What up, Dickie-bird?" I asked as I finished buttoning up my shirt then walked towards my bed to put on my shoes, the only dress ones I had.

I was wearing a black button up shirt with my cleanest pair of jeans, which were a dark blue, and black dress pants. On my chair's back was the hoodie I'd be taking with me and I had allowed my hair to just do whatever it wanted.

 _~Are you sure you can't come over? Roy's already here and we're setting up the television.~_ Then, behind Dick, I heard a small, _~Sup, Kid Mouth.~_

I sighed softly at Dick's antics and couldn't help but shake my head. "Sorry, Dick. I really have to go study today. You know how much English drills me, so you should understand why I have to go and study with Kate."

 _~I know, I understand, believe me. It's just not often that Roy's able to play with us.~_

"I know, and I feel bad about that. But I promise, next time, most definitely." As I said this, I stood up from my bed and glanced towards my window, only to find Mike's jeep waiting in front of my house. "They came to pick me up, Baby Bird. I have to go. I'll see you later." I told him in a rushed manner, then hit the end call button.

If he was going to say anything else, I didn't hear.

Then I ran down the stairs of my house and towards the front door, "I'm going out, mom! I'll be back before five in the morning!"

I strained my hearing for a second to try and see if anyone answered, but only received silence. So I shrugged my shoulders and ran out, smiling and waving as Kate smiled broadly at me.

"You look so handsome, Walls! Come on! We have to go, go, go!"

So I clambered onto the Jeep, which had an open roof, and smiled broadly as I saw Mike at the front with the guy with the hazel eyes seated beside him. Mike bumped my fist- which managed to shock me because, _really_ why were they being so nice- while Hazel Eyes looked me over.

"You don't seem like you party often." He noted as Mike began to drive.

Kate leaned into me, her long blonde hair falling over my chest, and I smiled softly, "Yeah. Today's my first crazy party. It better live up to the expectations you've set."

Hazel Eyes only smirked, "Dude... You're going to have one wicked hangover tomorrow morning if I have anything to say about it."

And even though I knew teenage drinking was completely wrong, I couldn't help but feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins. Man, I was happy I agreed to get out of the house. And I was happy that I was most probably not going to remember this night.

 **I got to say, I am amazed you all liked this story so much! I didn't know if I should have posted it, but now I'm sure that you liked it and so, will continue.**

 **Please review, follow, and favorite! And ask if yo have any questions. I'm willing to answer.**


	3. Chapter 3

House's in Keystone were split into two categories. Those for the wealthy and those for the rest. And the houses in the neighborhood Mike was driving passed by definitely belonged to the aforementioned category. Not one was smaller than two stories and most had pricey cars parked in front, along with clearly costly decorations.

All in all, this was not a street I was used to being in.

But the three I was with were in their element. Kate's father was a wealthy senator, Mike's mom made a killing as a plastic surgeon, and I think I once heard both of Hazel Eye's parents were successful lawyers.

Then, of course, were my parents. My dad was a mechanic that barely made enough money to scrape us by the months and my mom part-timed as a free-lance writer. There was a reason I barely even saw house's as great as these. And that was because I just did not have the resources to even get to this part of Keystone.

At the very end of the street, in the very center of a roundabout stood a house as wide as two normal sized houses and taller than three stories. Cars were parked all through the street, on the sidewalk, and even on the yard, with teenagers of all shapes and sizes flocking towards it.

Seriously, I wonder how many parents actually knew where their kids were right now. I highly doubt that some wanted their children hanging around people as dangerous as these. Because nothing good _ever_ came out of these parties.

Mike parked his giant hunk of metal known as a jeep inside the house's huge garage, where there were some four other cars already inside. I didn't fully understand how he managed to get inside, but I wasn't complaining, seeing how we didn't have to drive around looking for a spot to park in.

"Wally, be ready for the shock of a lifetime." Kate shouted over the pounding music that could be heard even under ground, all the while she jumped down from the jeep, Hazel Eyes and Mike following suit.

The music was so loud that it seemed to shake the house's very foundation and I _felt_ my body vibrating to the rhythm. With a smile I jumped down as well and landed beside Hazel Eyes, only to have him wrap his arm around my shoulder and immediately began to lead me to the stairs at the back of the garage, past all of the cars there.

Was that a Mustang?

"Come on, Walls. I made a promise that I am set on keeping." He smiled broadly as he did his best to be heard past the booming bass, all the while he slapped my left shoulder twice, "Hell, if I'm feeling kid, I'll even help you get laid!"

A blush began to make its way up my neck at the very thought of that because, yes, I was still a virgin, but I wasn't allowed to try and cover my embarrassment up because I was being shoved up the stairs and into the party before I could even think of doing just that.

And, wow... This place was _huge!_ The design style was clearly modern and the space we had just entered through must have been something akin to the family room because I could see couches and lazy boys pushed back against the walls to allow space for a dance floor, along with about two huge televisions on either wall, which were playing basically dance clips.

I marveled at the sight of what seemed like a hundred bodies dancing in the middle of the floor, but my gazing was cut short when Hazel Eyes suddenly began to pull me to the left.

"You and I have been given Fun Coordinators, Walls." Hazel Eyes informed me we walked towards what I guessed was the kitchen through a hallway that held other people dancing and talking.

Did that girl look at me like that? Like, with hooded eyes and everything?

I smiled at the girl with the long red hair and she seemed like she was about to push off her wall to come towards me, but Hazel Eyes was much too strong for me to try and stay.

Once we got to the kitchen Hazel Eyes pushed me forward and my eyes widened upon seeing two clearly college aged guys lugging in what seemed like kegs of beer.

"Yo, Ikey Boy!" One of them called, raising his arms to high five Hazel Eyes.

Just now I noticed that I had no idea what his name was.

"We brought the refreshments!" The other man, this one with a pretty wicked looking beard, announced as he set the keg down on the floor. "But we need some help bringing the rest of the stuff inside."

Hazel Eyes smiled broadly as he greeted both men then turned to me, "Derek, Siegfried, this is Wally West. He's taking on Mike's job for tonight."

Both men turned to me and looked me over and the first one to have spoken- he had long blonde hair pulled into a pony tail and a small goatee- smiled. "Again, Ike? When will Mike get that it's _his_ job to lug this shit around?"

I shuffled my feet slightly as Hazel Eyes laughed, "You know how Kate is, man! They're like two peas in a pod!" Then he looked at me, "Now, come on, Walls. We have some stuff to bring inside before we can completely open the kitchen doors."

Nodding I followed the three outside and towards a truck that was parked in the backyard. And inside I found various types of alcohol, all of which were going to go inside.

I know it was wrong. Teenagers shouldn't be drinking and college aged guys shouldn't be supplying us with this type of stuff. But... Tonight was a night of having fun, so I just helped them with a smile while cracking a few jokes every now and then.

* * *

It took all four of us some time to bring everything in, but once inside, both Derek and Siegfried clapped my back and told me I was all right. Afterwards they left to go into the dance floor, looking for their supposed dates, which left me alone with Ike.

"Here. You deserve this." Ike told me as he tossed a bottle my way, which almost fell onto the floor if not for my fast reflexes.

I looked at it and found, in bright blue and bold letters, _Vodka_ written on it. My eyes flickered over from the bottle to Ike, whom had already began to drink from a can of beer, and I dared ask, "Isn't this kind of over the top for a new drinker?"

The smile he sent my way almost seemed predatory. "Sure it is. But I know you eat a whole lot, Walls and don't do any sports to keep your body, so I'm guessing you have a wicked fast metabolism." After he shrugged, "But if you don't want the good stuff, we can always give you some beer."

The night was still young and almost nothing had happened in the party apart from that one girl sending those looks my way, so I guess I shouldn't be so worried. Besides, his musings weren't so wrong. Once- back when I was still young and pretty naive- I had asked my uncle if he could get drunk. After many questions from him he finally gave in and answered my own. He had told me that yes, they could, but it took a lot of alcohol. So... Vodka wasn't the worst option if I really wanted to get drunk.

"Well..." I told him with slight uncertainty, then shook my head and smiled. I was here for a reason, after all. "Bottoms up."

With that I brought the bottle to my lips and took a swig and my eyes watered at how much the drink _burned_ as it made its way down my throat. I put the bottle on the counter and placed my hand over my mouth to keep from spitting out, closing my eyes tightly, then smiled broadly up at Ike.

He only whooped and jumped towards me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders once more to push me out of the kitchen and into the party once more.

"That's my man!" He cheered, pushing me directly towards the throng of people dancing. "Now make me proud and dance your little ass off!"

Immediately I found people dancing and grinding into me and for a second I felt a bit of apprehension, but then there were hands on my shoulders and I was turned to face the red head that I had seen a couple of minutes ago.

"Hey, handsome." She smiled broadly, blue eyes scanning over my body.

My eyes went wide for a second, but then she began to dance and I couldn't hold myself back. She moved so beautifully.

So the night passed with me dancing with the girl with the fiery red hair and the electric blue eyes, different drinks making their way to us. And by the tenth beer I had, I became rather annoyed.

I thought if I drink I'd get drunk. So why wasn't I even buzzed?

"I need a break..." The girl breathed into my ear as she leaned against me, eyes slumping slightly.

She had drank just as much as I had which was enough reason for her to be drunk. "Sure, where do you wanna go?" I asked her and I felt her turn her head so her mouth was against my neck.

"Let's go to the backyard... I heard they have a pool..."

I chuckled slightly because I knew there was no pool in there but still helped her slump her way to her destination. On the way there I found Mike and Kate hugging in the kitchen and I smiled broadly as Kate looked up at me. Then I was outside with the girl with the red hair and surrounded by the beautiful green that surrounded these peoples' house.

I sat down on the stairs of the back porch with the girl beside me, her head slumped on my shoulder, and placed my jacket over her body. She seemed peaceful, eyes closed as she just sat beside me.

A few minutes after I heard the door opening and looked behind me to find Kate making her towards us. The blonde walked down and beside the girl, then sat down one step below me. She leaned her head against my knees and closed her eyes, just smiling as the moon's rays shone on her face.

"You know... I never took you for the kind to party, Wally." She breathed out, even though her eyes remained closed.

I nodded at that, I never had been interested in partying, actually, and smiled softly, "I just needed to get out of my house. And you invited me, so I told myself, why not?"

She chuckled softly now, "That's what I've always liked about you, Walls. You're a yes man. And you barely take anything lying down."

I quirked an eyebrow at this now, "What do you mean? I'm always letting people walk over me."

This made her open her eyes and I found her eyes gazing directly into mine, "No, not when it matters... I still remember that one time if eighth grade when the teacher wanted to blame you for her own mistake. You stood up, told her off, and got detention for three weeks."

My eyes widened at this, surprised to even be reminded of that evil teacher, then asked her, "You... Remember that? I mean, you remember me back in eighth grade?"

This seemed to make her smile, "Of course I do, Walls. And I also remember back in second grade when you tried to convince me to eat some mud pies you had made."

Suddenly, the image of a young me offering 'home-made' mud pies to a young Kate flashed before my eyes and I was almost too stunned to speak. She remembered all of that? _I_ didn't remember that!

"You..." I tried to say something, but I couldn't think of anything.

She only smiled up at me, "I'm not a bitch, Walls. I like you and I consider you my friend. There's a reason Mike lets me hang onto you without trying to pummel you to the ground."

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but snapped it shut immediately. Could it be that I had been living a lie my whole life? That maybe Mike, Kate, and the rest weren't as bitchy and dangerous as I had thought.

"But... Tell me something, Kate... How many DUI's have you gotten?"

The question caught her off guard because she sat up and looked at me with arched eyebrows, "What? Why would you ever ask that?"

Immediately I felt bad for asking, but I now had a hunch. "You see, I've heard that you and the rest of your friends have gotten a few of them..."

There was a second of silence in which all that was heard was the music, but soon enough Kate was laughing and shaking her head at me, "Of course not! Do you think my parents would let me go out if I did anything _that_ stupid?" Then she smiled at me, "Whenever we have a party like this, we have a designated driver. Then we go and sleep over at what we have deemed a safe house. Not once have any of us been arrested for drunk driving."

My lips pursed now, and I began to think and question, but Kate was suddenly holding my face in her hands and making me look directly at her. "Where did you ever hear that?"

I kept my mouth closed and didn't say anything, but she began to ask more questions before I could really say anything, "And let me guess, you also heard we do drugs and do stupid shit every night? Wally, you do know that if we did anything like that our parents would have hauled our asses to boarding schools a long time ago?"

I allowed my head to lower in shame, "I just heard it through the grape vine..."

Slowly she wrapped her arms around my waist and laid her head on my lap, "Oh, Walls... The rumor mill is dangerous... Listen here, we're friends. And you have been mine since first grade, even if I haven't been yours... Now, never allow anything dumb like that to hinder your judgement on us."

I nodded softly then felt a buzz in my pocket. Kate retracted herself as I looked for my phone, then looked at me as I read the message.

~Just where in the world are you, Wallace Rudolph West? I have called you four times now and you have not answered.~

Shit. He was using proper grammar. My uncle was pissed.

I closed the message and went to my call records, only to find that he had indeed called me in five different occasions and I had not answered. With a curse I began to type a reply to him.

~Sorry, we fell asleep for a while. What's up, Uncle B?~

Kate looked at me with confusion and worry as I began to bounce my left leg and bite at my lower lip, but I didn't really dare say anything as I waited for my uncle's reply. It was already one in the morning. Time had passed in a- no pun intended- flash. For the first time in my life time had passed by in a hurry instead of going at a snail's pace.

~Where are you? Your Aunt Iris are going to pick you up.~

~But why?I typed back then sighed and looked at Kate. "I think I'm going to have to cut this small session short."

"Why?"

My phone buzzed before I could answer. ~Because your parents just called to tell me they cannot find you and that they called Kate's parents. You are in a heap of trouble, young man. Just what were you doing lying to them?~

"Shit!" I growled then breathed out. "My uncle wants to pick me up."

Kate's eyes widened for a second then she shook her head. "Give me your phone."

I know I shouldn't have, I was already in enough trouble, but I relented my hold on the device and allowed her to take it. For about a minute, the only noise around was the music from the party and the rhythmic clacking of her nails on the screen, then she smiled broadly at me.

"I gave you some twenty minutes. Now come on. We have to get back to my house before your uncle gets there."

She stood up and began to pull me up, but I looked down at the girl beside me. She was completely passed out. Kate followed my line of vision and sighed, but helped me bring her inside and towards the kitchen. There we left the girl in the hands of one of Kate's friends, then set out to find Mike and Ike.

My phone buzzed in Kate's hand as we passed through the garage's door.

"What does it say?" I asked her and she sighed.

"He's given us five minutes to explain before he calls the police."

Mike and Ike both looked at us in drunken confusion- they had clearly enjoyed their drinks- but didn't ask anything as we helped them up. "Wally, you have to drive. I'm busy texting and keeping your uncle busy." She told me as she threw the keys in my direction and I couldn't help but gulp.

"I still don't have a license..."

"Don't care. Drive boy."

With a sigh and a shake of my head I clambered into the driver's seat as Kate got into the passenger's side, then I started the jeep. "Pray for me."

"I'm too busy praying my parents don't kill me, Walls. Sorry."

With that I opened the garage's door and began to drive in the direction of Kate's house.

 **So... This chapter kind of got away from me... In my head cannon, and for this story's sake, Speedsters _can_ get drunk. But it has to be a _lot_ of strong alcohol. Which makes it... Pretty improbable that Wally would risk drinking so much in front of so many people to just get drunk.**

 **Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

"Okay, park the car right here." Kate told me as we neared her home.

I looked at her only to find her frowning slightly grimly. "Are you sure? I'm pretty sure your house is like two blocks away or something."

The blonde only nodded, "If they see us arriving with Mike and Ike in this state we would both be screwed." Then she shook her head, "No. We can't risk that. We have to leave the Jeep here and run the rest of the way."

From the time we left the party to right now my fingers had progressively become tighter and tighter around the steering wheel, my knuckles pale as I ignored the pain that came from them. And when I parked beside the curb I felt that it was slightly hard to unwrap my fingers and retract my hands.

I'm sure if this were under any other circumstance, Kate would have smiled at my drama. But she was pale with worry and only dared look forward. Mike and Ike were slumped back in the back seats, sleeping comfortably and blissfully ignorant to the small crisis we were both facing at the moment.

"You know what you're doing, right?" Kate asked me as she opened her door, slowly climbing down from the machine.

I followed suit and was soon enough standing in front of the jeep with Kate beside me. I glanced back at the two sleeping boys inside and was about to ask her what we were going to do with them, but Kate spoke up before I could ask.

"Those two are used to this. I locked the doors before getting down and they have enough gas to last them the night. Now come on, we have some ground to cover."

And with that she took off running and I stared after her for a second, wondering how she could run with heels, but then noticed that she had them in her hand and was running barefoot. After noticing this, I followed, trying my best to keep pace with her without seeming too slow or too fast.

By the time we reached her house's yard we were both panting, tired, and red-faced, but we had at least made it. Her house was only two stories tall and seemed rather normal when compared to the rest surrounding it, but it _did_ have a bunch of Halloween decorations strewn all about. Spiders, witches, 'graves', and more were placed strategically over the driveway, the small path to the door, and all around the house.

If it weren't for the fact that my uncle was going to get here at any second I would have been staring in awe at how cool the decorations looked. But, because we had to hurry, both Kate and I scurried into the house, only to find her parents standing there, arms crossed and glaring as we crossed the threshold.

"Katherine Elizabeth Huxley. Where in the world have you been?" Her father, Senator Jonathan Huxley, immediately growled upon finding his daughter looking at him with wide eyes and gaped mouth.

I flinched slightly at how harsh his tone sounded but Kate did her best to smile sweetly at him. "Hey, Dad." She breathed, trying to sound innocent. But her face was flushed from running and her chest was heaving to try and get enough oxygen into her system, so it came out more out of breath than anything else.

"Who is this, Katherine?" Now Senator Huxley's wife- I think her name was Elizabeth, actually- took one step forward, her brown eyes looking me over before frowning. I don't think she liked me.

"Who, this?" Kate asked, trying to keep her cool. "You know him already, Mom. This is Wallace West, from my Chemistry Class."

Mrs. Huxley turned her nose upwards and closed her eyes, as if she didn't even want to see me, "Just what were you doing out of your home at _one in the morning_ with this boy?"

Kate blinked at her mother, as if surprised by this, "It's one already? Wow, Walls! I know you told me we had to leave the park, but I didn't know it was so late!"

I looked at her with a quirked eyebrow, slightly confused as to why she had even mentioned the park, but then thanked my sped up thoughts because I quickly caught on to the lie she was trying to concoct. Not only was she making a plausible alibi, but she was also trying to make me seem like a good guy in front of her parents.

"Yeah, I told you, didn't I?" I asked softly, moving my hands so they were resting on my hips, "Next time we go out for middle of the night diner food, Kate, you should really listen to me."

She seemed like she was about to say something else, maybe to try and make the lie seem even more convincing, but a quick and sudden knock to the door stopped her in her tracks. Then she blinked at me and I looked at her, then glanced to her parents. They didn't seem the least bit surprised by the interruption because Senator Huxley just walked to the door and opened it, turning to glare at me once it was.

I shrank away as soon as both my aunt and uncle's glares focused on me. "Wallace Rudolph West!" Aunt Iris growled, immediately walking into Kate's home without even waiting for any kind of admittance. She was really pissed off right now. "What in the world are you doing out at one in the morning? Especially after you'd forgotten to warn your parents!?"

I loved my aunt. Really, I did. But sometimes she could be even scarier than Batman himself. So I ran and hid behind Kate as Aunt Iris stormed towards me, all the while shaking my head, "I swear, Aunt I, I told both my mom and dad I'd be studying with Kate tonight! I swear!"

Kate nodded and her hair hit me various times as she did so, but that didn't bother me at all seeing how every single adult in the room had their steely and clearly angered gazes locked on us.

"We were studying for our test on Hamlet! Wally came over at seven, we studied, then at like ten- was it ten?-" She muttered to herself, then nodded once more, "Yeah, at ten we headed out for the diner!"

Both of her parents crossed their arms because they clearly didn't believe the story we were concocting all the while my uncle glared at me. "Wally, be a man and take your aunt's anger in stride. Do _not_ hide behind your friend."

I glared at him in return but sighed and stepped to the right so I was now standing beside Kate. "Look, Uncle B, I _told_ my dad I was going to be studying here yesterday. And he told me I was allowed to come here."

Uncle Barry's frown didn't let up, "I know that already, kid. Your parents told me you were going to be here. The thing that doesn't add up with the stories you're telling us is that your parents called Kate's at nine. And when they came to check on you both, you weren't there."

Of course we weren't there, I thought with chagrin, because we were too busy having actual fun. But I shook my head and continued, "Okay, so maybe we skipped out on studying a little sooner than we thought we had. But it's not like we were doing anything stupid. We studied here for a while then went to a diner then went to-"

"Which diner?" My aunt interrupted, making me stop right then and there and look at her as if she had asked the greatest and most unsolvable question in the universe.

Luckily, Kate was there to help me out. "We went to Angel's Diner by 43rd street, ma'am. My friend, Charlie, was there working. We got some free pie 'cause of him, right Walls?" She elbowed my ribs at that moment- rather hard, may I say- and I nodded with a smile.

"Good pie."

The tension in the room didn't let up, though. The four adults were clearly angered and annoyed at us being out so late and I couldn't help but be annoyed at their annoyance. It's not like we were doing anything illega... Wait a minute. Nope. We were. We were taking part in under age drinking. So, yeah, maybe they had a bit of reason to be upset, but it's not like they knew. Besides, we weren't doing anything stupid.

Wait... I was the one that drove us here and I hadn't even fully turned sixteen yet.

I was not helping myself at this moment.

"I find it hard to believe you kids." Senator Huxley said after he had cleared his throat, grabbing everybody's attention. "You actually expect us to believe that you were out having harmless fun after you didn't answer any of our calls?"

Kate smiled brightly and closed her eyes, cocking her head to the side, "Well it's not really my fault I don't have my phone, now is it, Daddy? You were the one that took it away for getting a D on my English Test and told me I would have it back once I got an A." Then she looked at him in all seriousness, "Which is what I'm trying to do, by the way, with Wally's help."

Now Uncle Barry quirked an eyebrow, "Wally? My Wally? Helping you out in English?" Now he glared at me, "Oh, now I _know_ you kids are lying."

I groaned in exasperation and Kate did as well, and I could tell that she was just as annoyed by the adults as I was. "Listen, we're studying together. We're taking notes and doing our best to bring our grades up. We went out to eat after a while and stayed at the park for some time. That's the truth, the whole truth, and nothing is going to change that." Kate almost shouted in exasperation.

I glared defiantly at my uncle and shook my head, "And if you don't want to believe the truth, fine by me. The fact that you believe it or not will not change the fact that it's the _truth_."

Apparently, that was the wrong thing to say because all four adults seemed to become even more enraged. And I took the opportunity before my aunt grabbed my ear to haul me out of the house to turn to Kate with a sad smile, "See you on Monday, kay? Thanks for the pie."

And just as I had foretold, my aunt appeared beside me and grabbed me by the ear, hauling me away as Uncle Barry apologized for my actions and promised the Huxley's to get to the bottom of things. And now that we were separated, I became worried that the cracks in Kate's and I's story would begin to show.

"Wallace Rudolph West, if I have anything to say about it, you'll be grounded until you are forty!" My aunt grouched as she pushed me into the car, glaring at me all the way.

With a sigh I rested my head against the window and took one last look at Kate inside the house before my uncle walked out and the door closed. A few seconds later my uncle was in the car and I swear that now I understand why some people hate listening to me and the Flash drone on and on in our superspeed. We were annoying.

* * *

"So, where were you?"

A groan escape my mouth for what seemed like the hundredth time as my dad asked the same question I had heard for the past hour as I walked into my house, followed by Aunt Iris and Uncle Barry.

"He insists that he went to study with Katherine Huxley, like he told you he would." Aunt Iris told her brother, arms crossed as she stood beside him.

"But the reason the Huxley's couldn't find them afterwards was because they went out to a diner until _one in the morning_."

I cringed at Uncle Barry's tone, knowing he was full well disappointed in me, but made my way into the kitchen to get myself something to eat.

Luckily, in the time we took to get from the party to Kate's house, she had given me some perfume and mints to get rid of most of the smell of alcohol that might have been clinging to me and so my uncle couldn't smell any on me. If he had... I didn't even want to think how large the freak out might have been if that had been the case.

Suddenly my mom appeared from her 'office'- which was a small room adjacent to the kitchen that she sometimes used to write- with bags under her eyes and a grim frown on her face.

God, now I knew where I got my acting skills from.

"Wallace!" She gasped as she saw me and immediately ran to hug me and I had to restrain myself from rolling my eyes at her theatrics. "Where have you been, young man? You have gave your father and I the scare of a lifetime!"

Now I couldn't resist but roll my eyes, "Lady, you have a teenager. You're gonna receive a lot of those in your life time."

After I had spoken you could literally hear a pin drop. I looked from my mom's shocked and slightly hurt face to find the other three adults in my home staring at me with wide eyes, apparently completely caught off guard by what I had said. But wasn't that the truth? Having a teenager, good or bad, would lead to a lot of scares. That was just how life worked. Right?

"Wallace, you are grounded indefinitely!" My father was the first to come out of his stupor and immediately he went into a rage.

I flinched as I thought on what would be coming afterwards but did my best to keep those thoughts from my head. Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris were here right now. He wouldn't pull anything funny with them around.

"What?" I gasped, suddenly realizing the meaning of those words. "That's completely unfair! I did nothing wrong!"

Uncle Barry now stepped forward, "You didn't tell us where you were nor did you answer our phone calls! We thought you were dead, kid! Don't you understand that?"

I was used to my parents yelling at me. Hell, I was used to almost _everyone_ yelling at me. I deserved it most of the time. But... My Uncle _never_ yelled. He was a nice man... Too nice to yell... Or, at least, that's what I had thought until right now. Because he shouted so harshly that I shrank away from him and neared the stairs for if I needed to escape.

Tears pricked my eyes at the sudden realization that I was so useless that I had even made my favorite aunt and uncle worry and fret about me. Whatever my dad had prepared for me, I deserved it completely.

My uncle's blue eyes softened slightly as he noticed that my eyes were watering, but he didn't comfort me. I didn't deserve it.

"Now go up to your room while your aunt and I speak with your parents. We're going to need to arrange a patrol schedule for the time you will be grounded."

I wanted to tell him that he didn't have to do that, he could just leave me without going out to fight crime because I _really_ didn't want to do anything with him at that moment, but instead bit my tongue and ran up the stairs as fast as I could.

I knew I had been wrong in going to that party and that something bad would have happened. But I wholly expected my parents would be the ones to pick me up and confront me about it. Never in a million years would I have thought they would call Uncle Barry to get me.

As soon as I entered my room I slammed door harshly, making the frame shake, then threw myself at my bed. There I looked down at my phone and found a text waiting for me to read it.

~Dude, what did you do? Your uncle called me and Roy asking where you are. Is everything okay?~

I glared at Dick's message and threw the gadget far away from me, trying my best to keep the tears from escaping my eyes.

I knew I was worthless. And I knew I didn't deserve people worrying over me. So... Why did they care so much? I didn't _deserve_ it...

I didn't deserve anything good.

But I _did_ deserve the beating my father would undoubtedly give me after my aunt and uncle had left. And I found myself waiting for that. Because physical pain helped numb out the emotional.

So I closed my eyes, just waiting for that moment, hoping that I could keep it together until my father came in and gave me what I deserved.

 **So this got angsty towards the end, but it _is_ a story about Wally's abuse. I really hope you liked it, though, and I hope you know that I appreciate you all for reading and reviewing.**

 **Please review.**


	5. Chapter 5

In my wait for my father to appear, I had fallen asleep.

And my dreams weren't any more comforting than my reality.

I was in my room, but it was different. It looked like it had when I was still about ten years old, back when I still thought life was good and my parents were actually as good as the Flash. I had my first place science project proudly displayed on my desk, the ribbon still on it, and my backpack was thrown carelessly on the seat beside it. The walls were covered with dozens of posters- from scientists, musical artists, and heroes alike- and the room seemed as if a hurricane had just through it.

Back when I was still a kid, my room was always a mess. Not because I liked it like that but because I never found the time or interest to clean it.

I looked at myself in the mirror and found that I was indeed ten year old me, wearing my old favorite Flash t-shirt. I opened my mouth and inspected my teeth, only to find that I was missing both my front teeth. And upon noticing this, my lips formed into a grim frown.

Tonight was the night. The first night my father hit me. And the first time I ever lied to anyone.

I knew that once I walked down the stairs I would find my father waiting for me in front of the kitchen. He had been pissed off for me getting into a fight in the school and almost showing off my powers... Then, when I had answered back that I was much too in control of myself to do something so stupid, he had slapped my cheek.

And instead of comforting me and trying to tell me that my father was just under much stress, my mother had glared at me and told me to man up and not allow any tear to fall. If she saw me cry, she would give me her own brand of punishment.

With a scowl I turned my head to my open door when I heard my father call out for me. I really didn't want to go down and relive this moment, but I seemed to have no control over my body because my legs began to move of their own accord. Soon enough I was at the top of the stairs and speeding down to the kitchen.

Honestly, the first time this had happened, I had not known what to expect. But now that I had experienced this memory on many different occasions because of my nightmares, I was kind of tired of being reminded how it all went downhill. All because I had become complacent with my powers and thought myself better than I actually was.

But as I neared the kitchen, something was off. My mother hadn't been watching television in the family room as I passed to go to the kitchen.

She was always there. Not once had I dreamed she wasn't.

What was happening?

I fully expected to find my father glaring down at me at the kitchen's doorway, but he wasn't there. In his stead stood Uncle Barry, blue eyes shining in fury while he held a phone in his hand.

"Five times I called you, Wallace. Five!" His face contorted into an ugly one of pure anger and I swear his eyes began to burn into me. "What could you possibly have been doing with that girl that warranted you to _not_ answer me!?"

I took a step back but was too shocked to fully think of speeding away from the blonde man. Then he showed the phone he had been holding... It was _mine_.

"Did you think we wouldn't riffle through your phone? Did you think we wouldn't find out you _lied_ to your whole family to instead go to a party?"

Suddenly he was right in my face, his large hands holding onto my shirt. And as his raging blue eyes bore into my own I noticed he wasn't as tall as he should have been if I was only ten years old. I had aged in my own nightmare.

Now I saw his hand raise but I could only stare as it came down in normal speed. He didn't speed at all.

"You lie, you cheat, you steal and you thought we wouldn't catch on to it! There's such a thing called a phone record, imbecile!" He shouted as his hand came back and backhanded me after slapping me once. And he continued hitting me back and forth as he spoke. "If you're going to try to use subterfuge against a forensic scientist, Wallace, you're going to have to try a lot better!"

I don't know when, but apparently I had closed my eyes as he hit me because he suddenly shook me violently, "Open your eyes, you goddamned coward! First you try to hide behind a _girl_ \- a normal human one, at that!- now you dare close your eyes as I dish out your punishment! Fucking open them before I _give_ you a reason to cry!"

Shaking my head, I kept my eyes closed.

I could take hits from my parents, I deserved those... But seeing my Uncle Barry- caring Uncle Barry that only ever smiled at me- being the one to hit me struck chords deep inside me I didn't even know I had. How could I have been such a failure? If I pissed the normally docile man off, it meant I must have been terribly useless. And now everyone knew it.

"Open them, goddamn it!"

Before I knew it, I felt an unexpected knee crashing against my stomach, causing me to gasp and open my eyes. And once I looked up, I found Uncle Barry smiling sickly at me, "See, it wasn't so hard, now was it?"

I wanted to say something, anything really, maybe even apologize for lying to him and promise to never do it again, but a fist flying into my ribs stopped me from doing just that. My body impacted against the wall behind me from the sheer force packed into the punch and I grunted as I slid down, falling onto my knees to clutch at my stomach.

My eyes burned with tears and I struggled to gasp my breaths and I had to remind myself it was just a dream, just a dream. Uncle Barry would never do something like this, it was nothing but a horrible, terrible dre-

"God dammit! Get up and face me like a man before I get totally fed up!" The angered speedster yelled as he kicked my stomach once more and damn the dream, I swear I felt a rib break!

Falling onto my side I curled up into a ball, tears falling freely from my eyes as I tried to keep from seeing my uncle. "Please!" I gasped, my voice hoarse and shaky, "I promise I won't do it again! I'm so sorry!"

A second of silence passed and I allowed my body to loosen a bit, hoping that taking some of the tension off would reduce the pain I was in, but immediately regretted when suddenly a foot crashed in my back, causing a pained cry to fly through my lips. It was strangled and, god, what was happening? Why was my uncle hurting me? Why couldn't it have been my father?

"Shut up, goddamned weasel!" Then there was that same foot digging into my ribs, causing yet another scream to escape me. "I don't care if you're sorry because I know you're only sorry you got caught. Now I'm going to beat some common sense into you!"

I looked up at him and found that my uncle wasn't my uncle anymore. His face had morphed into one almost alien and his body had accumulated muscle, along with growing. He seemed like a demon straight from the darkest pits of hell.

"Now... Do you prefer I start with your legs or your arms?" He hissed, voice twisted into something that wasn't him.

But that was my uncle. My Uncle Barry. The Flash. No matter if he had turned into a demon or not, the man that was giving me the beating of a lifetime was the one man I had always believed in.

I gasped, mouth opening and closing like a fish as I tried to form words, but he got fed up with my lack of an answer because he leaned down and grabbed onto both my shoulders. Then he began shaking me violently, screaming in my face.

"Wally! Wally!"

I felt the shaking, it was violent and terrible, but it was different somehow. And his voice didn't seem angry anymore... Was that worry?

"Wally, wake up! Man, you're having a nightmare!"

Why would my nightmare be waking me up?

"Don't make me slap you, bro!"

Uncle Barry would never have said that. Just what was happening?

Abruptly I was jolted into awareness by a sharp slap- but this one wasn't anywhere near painful- and I gasped as I opened my eyes. It took my eyes a few seconds to adjust to the sudden light that they were assaulted by, but a few seconds later I found myself looking into worried hazel eyes.

"Wally, you okay bro?" The voice of Ike asked me, but it sounded far away, as if it weren't fully there.

Instead of focusing in on the eyes in front of me, I looked around the room and found my normal and plain bedroom. There were no posters on the walls, only a few textbooks scattered on the desk, and everything was clean. This was my real room. I wasn't in a dream anymore.

"Wally?" He called again but I didn't answer because I only stared at him, even though I didn't focus on him, and felt a wet sensation on my cheeks.

I raised my hand up numbly and touched my cheek. I had been crying.

"Bro, if you don't answer me right now I'm going to... I don't know... Would Mike arriving here be enough of a threat to get you to answer?" Ike asked, sounding annoyed even though he was fully concerned.

"I'm... I'm awake. Sorry." I smiled dumbly, but I found myself straining too much to do so, so I just let it drop after a second or two. "W... What are you doing in my house, Ike?"

I guess that my answering his question gave him a bit of relief because the teen leaned back and sat on the corner of my bed, passing a hand through his hair. "Uh... You told me you'd have my homework ready by today and Mike and I kind of wanted answers. Also, you need to tell your parents to lock the doors once they leave. We got in without any kind of hassle."

My eyes narrowed slightly as I shook my head, then remembered that my parents were pretty pissed off with me. Maybe keeping the doors unlocked was their own unique way of saying they didn't give a shit about me anymore.

"Yeah, I'll- I'll tell them." I nodded softly, then looked around the room once more.

I don't know how, but I had somehow managed to change into pajamas and had even gotten under the covers before I fell asleep. I threw the covers off of me, suddenly feeling very hot, then looked at Ike. He was examining me through narrowed eyes.

"Um... I don't usually ask this but... Wanna talk about it?"

With a shake of my head, I got up from the bed. "It was nothing, really. Just a nightmare." I answered, then walked towards my desk. "Here's your homework."

I gave him the papers without any other words then walked out of the room, still feeling dazed and slightly confused. That nightmare had shaken me to the core.

Slowly I made my way down the stairs and I knew Hazel Eyes was following behind, most probably trying to think of the best question to ask next. But I only ambled into the kitchen and checked the refrigerator door. Usually my parents left me some type of warning like 'Don't eat all the lasagna' or 'Clean the whole house before we get back', so they must have left something about my punishment and the rules I was under.

There was one small note on it, almost fully inconspicuous while surrounded by the different papers my parents kept under magnets there. But it almost illuminated as a sign of 'read me now!' as I neared the door.

On the small purple paper were the simple words 'We'll be back by dinnertime. Don't worry about dinner'. But those words, such docile seeming words, made a cold shiver go up my spine at what I knew it meant. I'd be getting it by the time they got back.

"Hey, I don't know if you're up for it, bro, but Mike and I were going for a guys day to Central." Ike called as I grabbed the paper and crumpled it in my hand, glaring down at it. "We wouldn't mind you joining us."

I closed my eyes for a second, trying to steady my breathing to keep from hyperventilating, then glanced up at him. He was leaning against the door's frame, right were my uncle had stood just a few hours ago, and was trying to smile at me. He clearly had no idea what he was doing, but he was trying to be calm and nice with me.

This supposed bad boy had shown more care for me in a few _minutes_ than my family had shown in _years_. This popular jock that I heard had gotten himself into tons of trouble actually seemed to care about me...

I knew I would regret it. The beating I would receive would be doubled as soon as I got back from this sudden disappearance, but I only smiled as a small thought appeared in my mind.

Who cared? Who in their right mind actually cared about me? I knew the answer to that and it was certainly not my parents. And what if I disappeared today? If I was going to get the beating of a lifetime, I think it was warranted that I do something completely reckless and stupid. Mike and Ike were the perfect escape from staying home today.

"Sure." My lips moved without my consent before I even came up with a real plan. "Let me get dressed though."

And Ike smiled broadly up at me, most probably thinking my mood change proved that he didn't really have to worry much about the nightmare I had just lived through.

"I'll wait out in the car. Mike's waiting for us."

With that he walked towards the front door and I nodded. Yeah... I know I was digging my own grave but I couldn't care.

Uncle Barry had called me a coward in my nightmare. And he couldn't have been any closer to the truth.

* * *

It was five in the afternoon when I received the call. When I answered it, I found Mary West screaming into my ear, ~Wallace West! Where are you and why aren't you at the house?!~

With a groan I rolled my and eyes glanced at Mike and Ike, only to find them playing a game of I Spy while Mike drove down the streets of Central City.

"Geez, ma... Now, listen here. I'm out with my friends. Having fun. And I won't tell you where because last time I did, you just came up with a lie and got Uncle Barry pissed off at me." I growled, eyes narrowed as I looked out the window.

The day was beautiful, I had to admit. A perfect day for playing hooky from my parents.

~Just who do you think you are, talking to me like that?~ The woman gasped but I only shook my head.

"You listen to me, Mary. I'm pissed off at both of you. And, yeah, I know what's coming to me once I come home, but I don't really give a shit. You pissed me off and believe me, I've been lenient with you. Now you're going to shut up and not call me again and just wait until I _choose_ to go back."

With those harsh words I hung up on my mother and crossed my arms, angered and annoyed by her. Just who did _she_ think she was? She betrayed me, got my uncle angry at me, then actually expected me to behave? Screw that! I may be a push over, but even I had a limit!

"Yo..." Mike spoke up, glancing at me through the rear view mirror.

I looked at him, and I'm sure he saw how annoyed and angry I was, because he only smirked softly, "Piss of a parent?"

I scoffed softly and leaned back into my seat, "Both of them. _And_ my aunt and uncle."

Ike turned around from the passenger's seat and smiled broadly at me, "Well, we gotta do something to turn that frown upside down, Mike!"

Mike only smirked, "And I know just what to do."

From Mike to Ike I looked, wondering just what they meant, but I didn't stop them from doing anything. I really needed a distraction and something to do because I knew it was just a matter of time before my Uncle appeared and dragged me back to that damned house.

 **I literally wrote and re-wrote this ending like five times. It was _so_ hard to come up with. And this story is really controlling me right now, it's quite literally the only thing I can think about now. So I hope you guys really enjoyed it because I'm loving writing this slightly dark Wally.**

 **Please review.**


	6. Chapter 6

"Barry! Barry Allen!"

The blonde scientist glanced up from his work to see that his sister-in-law, Mary West, was running up to him, tear tracks running down her cheeks. Immediately the man stood up and met her, grabbing her by her upper arms to not let her fall over, like she seemed she would be doing any minute now.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Allen." The young intern, a college student with light brown hair and light freckles on his face, called as he ran in after Mary. "I tried to stop her, tried to tell her only authorized personnel can enter here, but she wouldn't listen to reason."

Barry nodded at him and smiled softly, "Don't worry, kid. I've got her." Then he looked down at Mary with a worried frown. "What's wrong Mary? Usually, if something's happened, you wait for me to get home or call Iris."

The red headed woman nodded and choked on her words, then closed her eyes and began to sob into Barry's shoulder. The blonde immediately wrapped his arms around her and began to comfort her, all the while motioning the intern to leave with his head. The boy did so and closed the lab's door behind him and Barry really hoped he would keep others from coming inside.

"Mary? Mary, I need you to tell me what happened. I can't help you unless you tell me." Barry spoke calmly and softly, using the very voice he'd once upon a time used to soothe a young Wally from his nightmares. "Now, take a deep breath and calm down."

The woman's despairing green eyes looked up into Barry's own blue ones, then she breathed in deeply and did her best to stop her sobbing. It took her a few seconds, but eventually, with Barry's guidance, she was able to stop the tears running down her face and was finally able to articulate her words.

"Oh, God, Barry, it's horrible!" She gasped, shaking her head while closing her eyes once more to try and stop tears from flowing.

"What's wrong, Mary? Tell me." Barry pleaded, his own composure beginning to crumble at seeing Mary so distraught.

Usually, Mary was the most put together person he ever saw. She always kept a straight face and a steady mood, barely ever letting anything get to her. If she was crying right now, and sobbing this loudly... Well, something _outright terrible_ must have happened.

"Wally... I think he's... I don't... Oh God!" Once more the woman succumbed to her sobs and Barry's eyes widened.

He wasn't going to sugar coat anymore. Wally could be in trouble!

"Mary, calm down and look at me." He commanded, grabbing her stiffly by the shoulders to make her look. "Now, breath in and tell me: What happened with Wally?"

Mary's green eyes were surrounded by red, having cried for a very long time. And she looked at Barry as if he were the only thing on the Earth keeping her sane.

"Oh, Barry. You know Wally was grounded, right?" She sniffled, now raising her hands to hold onto Barry's elbows. "Rudy and I had to leave without giving him much warning, an emergency came up in Rudy's work and I had to drive him there, but we told him he couldn't leave the house. We even left a note on the fridge!"

Barry absorbed all the words and nodded as the woman continued to speak, lips pressed into a tight frown as he could only just assumed what had happened this time around.

"When I got back two hours ago, he wasn't there! Then, when I called him... Oh! The words he used, Barry! He _swore_ at me!" She breathed out, going to grab at her chest, as if there was a crushing weight on her.

The blonde man blinked at her in shock, then asked, "Are you sure? That doesn't sound like Wally."

She only nodded, "He told me... Oh my God... He cursed me and Rudy for calling on your help last night and that he _doesn't_ want to come back home! Then he told me-!" She gasped and cut herself off, not daring say anymore unless she burst out into tears once more.

While the woman tried her best to maintain her composure, the blonde man she was telling all of her woes to was doing his best to contain his slowly mounting anger. Wally had swore at his mother? He'd use curse words and blamed her for getting in trouble?

If there was one thing Barry would never tolerate, it was blaming others for one's own failures. And last night Wally had dug himself pretty deep in with all of his lies. And now he dared run away and scream at his mother when all she did was call to make sure he was alright?

"Mary, I need you to call the police. Tell them Wally's run away." Barry told her and the woman only nodded, keeping her mouth shut as he continued, "Do you have any idea where he could be? Or who he's with?"

The woman could only shake her head, "I have no idea when he left the house nor who he is with. I only came here to you because I knew you would know what to do, Barry."

The man nodded, "Don't worry, Mary. I'll get to the bottom of this." He promised, then looked up at the clock on his wall. "Okay, I can clock out now. I need you to call the police and report Wally as a run away. I'm going to go visit that girl he was with yesterday, see if she knows who Wally might be with."

Mary nodded and fished her phone out of her purse, "Thank you so much, Barry." She breathed, giving him a watery smile.

With a nod, Barry turned to his work station. "I'll call you as soon as I have any type of information, okay?" Then he turned to her and offered her what felt like a comforting smile, "And don't worry about this, Mary. He's most probably just angry he got caught in lies. I assure you, this is all just a phase that'll blow over in a week, tops."

She looked at him, and for a flash of a second Barry thought she frowned grimly at him, but Mary was smiling at him after he blinked, "Thank you so much, Barry Allen."

And she left his lab, going to call the police.

* * *

"This is what you're going to use to cheer me up?" I asked as I looked suspiciously at the bottle offered by Siegfried's hand.

Apparently, Mike and Ike's definition of having fun and cheering someone up was to first bring Derek and Siegfried- the two college age guys I met at the party last night- then get some drinks, and finally, park in an abandoned lot, which was in front of the abandoned warehouse district, to clamber out of their respective cars.

Once on the floor, they had explained the rules of the game to me. And, to be honest, it sounded completely and utterly mad.

"Yup. Now drink up, Ginger Snap." Siegfried smiled broadly at me, "Jack Daniels ain't going to drink himself."

I stared at the bronze liquid inside the bottle, suddenly feeling a bit apprehensive as this very much older man told me to drink. I mean, hanging out with Mike and Ike was pretty fun in and of itself. They were cool guys and I kind of knew them from school. But these two men- because that's what they were, grown men- telling me to drink alcohol suddenly made me see how stupid I was acting.

I shouldn't have yelled at my mother. But... I just snapped at her because I was annoyed and tired. Wasn't that human?

"Oh, come on, Walls!" Ike appeared behind me, wrapping his arms over my shoulders and chest, "We just want to see you happy again! Now, drink up half the bottle of Jack Daniels because Mike's already done his."

Now I looked at Mike and found the blonde nodding his head with an odd rhythm, a bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand. He had literally drank half of it.

"But..." I glanced over the four people around me, thought about my parents, and frowned. "Fine. Give me that bottle."

I chugged the drink down fast and hard, ignoring the tears forming in my eyes as it burned its way down my throat, then found myself swaying softly as I handed the bottle over to Siegfried. The big man whooped at my eagerness then chugged down the rest of the bottle, and I blinked as I found my head suddenly feeling lighter.

I know for a fact that I wasn't drunk because I could see straight and my body didn't feel sluggish, but... My head was feeling extremely light and my body was swaying slightly to a rhythm I hadn't even heard. Huh... Apparently, if I chugged it down fast enough and didn't have much food in my body, I _could_ get a bit of a buzz going.

Once the other three had finished drinking their share, Ike called, "First to get to the warehouse door and back wins!"

And he took off running without any other warning and I blinked after him, but still took off after him. I did my best to keep from going too fast or seeming too sober, but these guys were much too busy focusing on not falling flat on their faces to notice me. So I jogged towards the warehouse and chuckled when I saw Ike face plant a few feet behind me, then shook my head and pressed my palm flat against the door.

Mike was stumbling a few feet away, and Derek and Siegfried were doing some kind of variation of a three legged race, in which Derek had his arm slung over Siegfried and the bearded man had one hand to the floor, which meant they were hunching over as they tried to help each other get there. I chuckled at how funny they all looked and Ike beamed at me.

"He'sh..." He slurred, throwing his arms up and suddenly losing his balance- even though he was still on the floor-"He'sh happy!"

I stumbled my way towards the finish line, but threw myself beside Ike and laughed loudly. "I happy!" I yelled drunkenly, hoping they were drunk enough to not figure out that I was _not_ in fact intoxicated.

He giggled in a maniacal manner and I saw Mike make his way towards us, eyebrows drawn in tight and lips pursed as he concentrated on not falling.

"Any..." Siegfried spoke up, and I saw both of them crawling their way to us. Apparently, they had given up on walking. "Anyone got a-got a phone?" He asked, then threw himself onto the floor besides Ike and I with a loud guffaw, "My girl's gone be _pissed_!"

Derek laughed loudly at him, throwing his arm over his friend, "No she won't!" He slurred, patting Siegfried's chest to try and comfort him. "We-we'll j-jussst call... uh... What'sh hish name?"

I laughed loudly once more because, man, these guys were hilarious! All four of the drunk guys laughed along with me, even though they had no idea why, and I couldn't help but shake my head at them.

"I-I love you guys!" I told them, but looked up when I heard a loud 'CRASH'.

"Damn drunks! We told you to never come back here!"

The voice that I heard made my blood cold and my whole body tense. I didn't dare even look up as I heard footsteps coming toward us because I knew that I was so completely screwed at this moment.

It just _had_ to be _him!_

"Hey, what'd we tell you?" Grouched an Australian accent and I rolled onto my stomach, covering my face with a groan.

I should have known something like this was going to happen. We were in the abandoned warehouse district in Central City, _Flash's_ Central City. Of course there was going to be some type of bad guy lounging around, making this place home. But... Did it really have to be _these_ guys? The only villains in the world that actually cared about their resident hero?

"I think they're in pretty bad shape, Len. Maybe we should just let them sleep the intoxication off."

My eyes widened as I heard the voice of James Jesse plead with Captain Cold and couldn't help but hope against hope that they wouldn't notice that the shock of red hair on the floor belonged to the one and only me.

"These are kids, James. They're your age." Len tsked, clearly annoyed by us, "We have a duty as good Samaritans to keep them off _our path_."

There was a second of silence in which I heard nothing and I began to count the cracks in the cement to try and keep my mind off my imminent doom, but I heard Ike giggle from beside me.

"You speak funny..." Hazel Eyes giggled and I could just _see_ him pointing at Captain Cold. "Hey... Wanna play with us? You'd have to drink some JD before hand, it's part of the rules, but..." He drifted off at that and I was worried that Len had growled and glared at him. "What was I saying?"

I breathed out a sigh of relief after I heard that Ike was just too drunk to make complete sentences, but soon regretted it when I heard a sharp gasp.

"Wally!?"

Cursing under my breath, I decided to just face the music and roll around, to find that there were four Rogues looking to check on our drunken antics. Len was dressed in his usual parka, but wasn't wearing the hood, and James was wearing street clothes. Digger was dressed in a blue shirt and gray sweats although he wasn't wearing any shoes, and the last Rogue, the one that hadn't said anything at all, was none other than Mirror Master. The Mother Hen of the Rogues.

"Waaalllyyy!" Derek and Siegfried cried together, falling into fits of giggles afterwards.

I smiled slightly at them, they were funny drunks, but that smile faded as soon as I looked back at the frowning Len Snart. The bald man crossed his arms and I swear I could just _feel_ the tongue lashing he was going to give me.

"James, I want you to knock those four buffoons out." Sam said as his eyes narrowed on me and he began to walk towards me.

"Hey, come on, guys! I'm in my civvies! No funny-" I was about to beg for them to not mess with me because my four friends were still here, but just then James threw knockout gas in their faces, causing them all to fall asleep.

"Wallace Rudolph West, why do you smell like liquor?" Sam growled, grabbing me by my shirt's collar and hauling me up to stand.

Apparently, the drink had affected me more than I expected because I almost tripped when I tried to stand, but managed to catch myself before I fell onto the angered man. But- even though I counted that as a small victory- Sam glaring at me with Digger, Len, and James behind him was a bit more pressing matter that I _really_ should tend to.

I could go about this in two different ways. I could either a) play stupid and hope I could run away before they contacted my uncle or b) own up to everything I did and hope I could knock them out before my uncle arrived. But, in either case, I had to hope that they didn't call my uncle before I somehow managed to untangle myself from this mess.

"I... Have no idea what you're talking about?" I tried, chuckling nervously as soon as Sam's glare turned deadly.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about?! Boy, you reek of a bar! And there are empty whiskey bottles on the floor!" He pointed to the one besides Mike's jeep, which was the closest to us, and I inwardly cursed my crappy luck.

First I get caught-but-not-really when I got out for a party by my uncle and now I get caught actually drinking by my Rogues! And the worst part was that these guys actually- in some sick way- cared about me and would thoroughly scold me for this!... Why couldn't I have normal villains that would take advantage of me at this point?

"Wallabee, what are you doin' with this lot?" Digger asked, voice soft but tense.

I chuckled nervously, shrugged my shoulders, and received a shaking from Sam because of that. "Ow! Ow! Geez, haven't you heard of shaken baby syndrome?" I snarled slightly, raising my hand to my head to make it stop swimming.

Sam only smacked my hand away and forced me to look at him. "Wally, you are not even sixteen years old. I can smell booze on your breath and on your clothes. Now you're going to come into the hideout with us where we're going to call your uncle. When he gets here you better hope he's more forgiving than us."

My eyes widened at this thought because I really didn't want to face my uncle right now and shook my head rapidly, beginning to struggle and try to escape from Sam's clutches. Even though he was a normal human, the guy sure had a grip on my shirt!

"If I were you, boy, I wouldn't struggle." Len snarked as he began to walked into the warehouse, Digger following behind him.

"The man's a mother hen, y'know." Digger sniggered afterwards, clearly finding my situation too funny to even think about the reason as to why Sam was holding me.

I stared after them in both fear and annoyance, but was soon pushed forward and shoved into walking into the warehouse. "You try to run, Baby Flash, and I will tie you up, put a plate of food in front of your face, and not let you have any."

A dismayed gasp left my lips without my consent at the image. And, because I really didn't feel like being hunted down by Central's most wanted villains, I just allowed myself to be pushed into the warehouse. On my way there, I looked up to see James looking down at me.

He seemed so heartbroken...

So I allowed my head to drop as I passed into the threshold of the Rogue's hideout.

I had really screwed up.

 **So, for people that are wondering why Wally has these sudden mood swings. I've been reading up on various articles on abuse- physical, emotional, mental, and neglect- and how they affect teenagers. In most cases, teens become recluses and start doing dangerous things. So Wally's kind of now become a stereotype for teenage abuse... Also, they have sudden mood changes- like poor Walls here- and bad behavior can arise from this, which could cause a hard time distinguishing between right and wrong.**

 **He speaks harshly to his mother one second, then regrets it immediately. He accepts the punishment he's going to get first with his head held high, then thinks on it and how much it'll hurt and shrinks away from it. Remember, Wally's a teenager. And he's human. Emotions are not easy to control and his are at an all time high.**

 **Please review.**


	7. Chapter 7

James refused to talk to me. And that hurt me more than I cared to admit.

After I was pushed inside the Rogue's hideout, Sam Scudder forced me to walk into the main floor area, where I found Hartley and Rory watching a movie on a small dilapidated couch. The teen brightened up as soon as he saw me, but his mood shifted when he saw Sam standing behind me with a firm frown on his face and James nowhere in sight.

"Wally?" Hartley asked, looking me over with his blue eyes. "What's going on?"

Just then Len appeared behind Sam and shoved me forward, making me stumble and almost fall onto the couch.

"Hartley, you're to watch the kid until his uncle gets here. And you have to make sure that he doesn't _leave_." The bald man ordered with a growl, shoving me forward once more.

I turned to him with a sneer and was bout to call him out for treating me so aggressively, but a glare from Same made me immediately bit my tongue and sit down. I threw myself onto the couch beside Rory, glaring at the television in front of us, and the man only quirked an eyebrow at my actions. But he only shrugged and turned back to his movie, most probably having decided that I was just acting like a teenagers and that whatever my problem was, it most probably wasn't worth interrupting the story on he TV.

"Len?" Hartley stood up to follow the man, but was stopped by Digger appearing beside him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Wally's gotten himself in quite a bind, boy. Best to let Len and Sam call his uncle 'fore we start explainin'." The Aussie whispered, eyes flickering to me before shaking his head softly, "Just... Just wait 'til Flasher gets here."

Of course, Digger acting so kindly to Hartley worried me. Captain Boomerang was the most crass of all of the Rogues- if you didn't count Heatwave- and usually was the one with the biggest mouth. If he was keeping everything tight and secret, it meant I was more screwed than I had initially thought.

So Hartley just nodded and sat down beside me, staring after the three men as they left the room.

Silence reigned over us as we watched the movie, apparently a remake of the Thing that Came from Another World, and I could tell Hartley was curious as to why I was there. He didn't move much, but his eyes would flick over to me every once in a while but immediately go back to the television when he noticed that I knew he was looking at me.

And James... Well, James was walking from one side of the warehouse to the other while glaring at me every twenty seconds. Apparently, he had been so traumatized by finding me close to drunkenness that he didn't know what to do with himself. He didn't even try to interrupt Rory, who was clearly enjoying the movie.

We kept this small game up for about five minutes and were only interrupted when the three that had left us came back. Sam and Len had grim frowns on their faces and I worried if Flash would be coming with break neck speed, but Digger was smirking softly. Just what...?

"Sam an' I are goin' ta head out ta catch Flasher." The smiling man announced and James immediately jumped over to them, eyes wide and begging.

"Can I go? Please?" He pleaded and Digger looked down at him with slight shock.

"But, wouldn't you like ta stay with-" He began to ask and I knew it was a question about staying with me, but Sam cut him off.

"Get dressed. As soon as Boomer's dressed, we're leaving to find the big red annoyance." Sam told him and James nodded.

The teen didn't even smile as he ran to his room.

I sighed and lowered my head, feeling completely bad. I knew that I would get in trouble for acting up, it was just how life worked... But I never expected James to react this way. It hurt to see him hurt.

Sam made his way to me and crouched, making me look up and into his scowling face, "I don't know what you think you were doing or how funny you were trying to be, but what you did was beyond stupid. What if it hadn't been us who caught you? What if some rookie found you kids passed out in front of the warehouse and tool you all in for underage drinking?"

His words were sharp and cut like a knife, and all I could do was flinch slightly when I saw his hand slowly start to move upwards. I thought he was going to hit me for being stupid, like Uncle Barry had in that dream.

But instead, the man placed his left hand on my cheek, "There's a reason there's a drinking age, Walls. You could have gotten seriously hurt if we didn't step in when we did."

Seeing how the immediate threat had died down, I immediately felt like defending my point. I wanted to tell him that we were fine, I could have driven all of the guys home because I was sober, but instead bit my lip and looked away from him. For some reason, looking into his eyes- which were pools of worry and slight sadness- hurt me. It hurt me as much as James' silence had.

Digger now appeared behind him and placed a hand on my shoulder, "We're not goin' ta tell the bugger what happened, we want ta hear the full story from you. Okay?" He asked.

I looked away from him once more and instead focused on the wall to my left, but the man shook me, "Okay?" He asked with more force and Sam was looking at me with a determined gaze.

So I nodded, "Yeah..." I muttered, still looking away.

I couldn't face those two. Not after what I had done.

They both nodded and took a step back after this and I swear I could breath again, and just then James walked into the room and told them he was ready. So, with a final glance my way, the three men disappeared into the mirror world.

I wish Digger had stayed. He seemed like he was the only one that didn't want to jump down my threat. Especially now that I was left with Hartley, Rory, and Len, all whom had tempers.

"Did... What did I just hear, Walls?" Hartley asked after a few seconds, reminding me that he was indeed seated to my left.

I chose to ignore him, though. I didn't want to think on what had just happened and what would be happening.

My uncle was going to be so pissed off. He may just raise his hand to me, like he did in my nightmare. Maybe... Maybe my nightmare wasn't that, but a warning. Maybe it was telling me of the danger I could be in if I continued pissing my uncle off.

The more I thought of this, the crazier it seemed. My uncle would never hit me. But, there was that one voice in the back of my head that whispered, 'he would' and the more I heard it, the more I believed it.

"Wally." Hartley called and I blinked at him, finding his face mere inches from my own. "What just happened?"

I blinked, shook my head, then narrowed my eyes. "Nothing." I grouched and Hartley narrowed his own.

"Oh, you're not getting away with that excuse, Walls. Now, Sam said something about drinking. Just what did you do that had James so upset?"

Inwardly I groaned, not wanting to have to retell my story, but Len walked up to him and pulled the teen away from me.

"He did something stupid, Harts. But you'll hear all about it as soon as Flasher gets here." Len grunted and Hartley narrowed his eyes at the man.

"Why did you have to go searching for him? Wouldn't it have been much simpler if you just called him?"

The bald man sighed but nodded, "Yeah. But he wasn't picking up his cell phone." He paused for a second, then looked at me, "My guess is he's already been notified of Kid's disappearance and is working on getting him."

I shifted in my seat and wrapped my arms around myself, but didn't say anything after. So we went back into silence and Len decided to sit and watch the movie with us, but apparently, the silence was not meant to last. That didn't surprise me much, these guys were always loud and obnoxious. What did surprise me, though, was the person that broke the silence.

"Baby Flasher got himself in trouble with alcohol?" Rory spoke up while the movie lulled to its conclusion, "Just where did you get that kind of stuff?"

I don't know why, honestly. One second, I was busy retracting into myself and hoping the couch would swallow me up before my uncle arrived. But as soon as Rory had asked that, I just... I don't know, honestly... But suddenly I was standing up, face set in a feral sneer with my hands balled into fists.

"Who gives a shit?!" I yelled, causing both Len and Hartley to jump in shock at my outburst. "It was _one_ drink _and_ I'm a speedster! It didn't affect me at all!" I roared, turning my back to him to walk a few steps away from the family room.

I was breathing hard now, my chest heaving, and I didn't understand why. The question just- I'd heard it so many times. The same thing 'what happened? What did Baby Flash do?' and I was _so_ annoyed by that! I'm not a baby! My name's _Kid_ Flash! I'm not some diaper wearing annoyance.

Rory had always had an explosive temper. There's a reason for him being named Heatwave, after all, and he'd never been one to back down from a confrontation. So he stood up almost as quickly as I had and was immediately on me.

"Well I'm sorry for being worried about you, kid! But all I've heard 'til now is that your uncle is being called and that you did _something_ with alcohol and nobody's said anymore! I'm sorry for actually caring!" He yelled, glaring down at me as I tuned to face him.

And those words... I wish he hadn't said them. I truly wish he hadn't. Because they just set me off again.

"Care? Care! _Nobody_ cares, Rory! Not you! Not my parents! Certainly not my Uncle Barry!" Now I glared at him with hate deep in my mind, "Nobody gives a shit and that's what the world is about! So don't you dare go off making your questions 'right' by trying to hide behind a façade of _care_!"

A pause. A moment of silence in which the three males in the room could only stare at me in shock. The calm before the storm.

Then Rory was yelling again, "Just what does that mean, Wallace?" He sneered, lowering his head so he was right in front of my face.

And I sneered back at him and my eyebrows drew in tight and I flexed my right fist as he spoke.

"We all care about you, kid! There's a reason why we keep hauling your incompetent ass out of the problems you get yours-"

Suddenly his voice was muffled and I could only stare in surprise as I saw my fist colliding into his jaw in slow motion. The ripples across his face were devilishly taunting, as if telling me I had screwed up, and he was slowly pushed back by the force I had packed into the punch. Then he was falling, eyes scrunching in pain as his back collided with the floor.

And all of this I saw in extremely slow motion.

The only thing I could do after was stare at his body, much too shocked and disgusted by what I had done.

I knew I had been angry... I didn't know why though... And now Rory was laying on the floor with blood trickling from his mouth, a nasty bruise forming on his cheek.

Once again silence reigned supreme. But this time it wasn't because of anything good... No, this time it was because everyone else in the room was much too shocked and _disgusted_ by what I had done to try and say anything.

"Wally?" Hartley spluttered, eyes flickering from me to Rory then to me again.

"I..." I mumbled, then looked up and found Len getting up from his seat. "I'm sorry!" I immediately yelled, thinking he was getting up to hit me.

I took a step back, then another as the man took one to try and reach me. He could only look at me with shock and I could only stare back at him with eyes that pleaded with him, begging to not be hit.

Now Len was going to hurt me, just like Uncle Barry and my father!

Without my knowledge, my foot snagged with something on the floor and I fell backwards, hitting my back hard to get the wind knocked out of me.

"Wally, are you okay?" Len asked, moving faster to get to me but I only shook my head.

"Stay away! Please! I promise I won't do it again!" I yelled, but stopped when I choked on a sob.

When had I begun to cry?

"Wally?" Hartley called and now he was standing beside Len.

But I didn't see them. I saw my father. And he was livid.

"I won't do it again, I swear! Just stay away from me!" I scrambled backwards, trying to keep myself from hitting another object while keeping my eyes on the two.

Rory groaned and I saw him sitting up, but, again, all I saw was my father's face. But his voice... It didn't sound like my father's. "Kid, you pack a punch. Now get back here and come back to your sense."

The voice wasn't my father's. But the face sure was. And my father was a man I never wanted to tell me those words. It would mean he'd just beat me even worse than he was initially expecting to.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Tears streamed down my face freely now and I swear that my chest felt like it was being constricted by Conner's hands. "I-I-I won't d-d-o it again!"

My breathing became more erratic, my eyes were wide and my knuckles hurt. Why did my knuckles hurt? Now I looked down at my hand and found myself holding onto the furniture that was behind me. When had I gotten that far?

Apparently, Len had taken my momentary distraction to rush up to me and hug me tightly, but I immediately began struggling. "Please stop! Stop! Don't hit me! I promise I'll be better! I'll get better grades at school! I won't get caught selling homework! Please, just don't hit me!"

Words spewed from my mouth, words I knew would hurt me later, but I was so _scared_! They were going to hurt me! Just like everyone else in this world! No one cared about me and I didn't deserve to be cared about! But I didn't want to get hit! I admit it, I was a coward!

I think Len-Dad was going to say something, but I managed to wriggle out of his hold and speed out of the warehouse before he said anything. And I ran.

I ran and ran and didn't stop running until my stomach begged me to stop and eat something. And even then I continued running until my feet completely numbed out on me and I crashed into sand. And even when my legs shut down and I stopped feeling my arms, all I could think about was running.

And once my mind caught up with my actions, I began to cry. I began to sob like a baby and pulled myself into a ball and pressed myself into the sand of whatever beach this was. And I cried and cried because it was the only thing I could do from doing anything stupid that might have come back to hurt me later on.

And I still don't know when I stopped crying, but I know that I eventually succumbed to my over tired body because soon enough I didn't feel a _thing._

Just what I had always wanted.

 **The angst... It hurts to write. All I want to do is hug Wally tightly and tell him he matters, but, then again, I'm the one making him go through this whole ordeal...**

 **Anyways, review~**


	8. Chapter 8

I wasn't sure when i woke up, but I do know that the sun was shining in my face. And it wasn't a bit tone down shine like the one I was accustomed to from my state nor did it remind me of anything in my continent. No, this sun burned bright and reflected off a clear blue ocean, hot on my skin.

Slowly I got up from where I previously lay- ignoring the uncomfortably hot sand that clung to my skin- and winced as my whole body creaked and groaned, clearly still feeling the effects of the neglect I unknowingly imparted on it the night before.

The night... What had I done? Why had I punched Rory? All he wanted to do was hurt me- wait, no... That wasn't right. The fire loving man would never have hurt me on purpose.

Blinking to try and adjust my eyes to the bright sun, I couldn't help but shake my head to try and straighten up my thoughts. The action did almost nothing to help me, though, because my thoughts continued in their jumbled state and I could begin to feel my eyes start to water. My thoughts... They were overwhelming... My emotions were getting the better of me and I couldn't just _stop_ it.

My face began to scrunch up and I tried to stop tears from flowing, but, for some odd reason beyond me, I just couldn't stop myself.

I had punched Rory in the face! I had punched not only a good friend of mine, but also a very dangerous person that could get me in a whole bunch of trouble! And if the Rogues told my uncle what had happened- which they would undoubtedly do- I would never be freed of their questioning and anger.

I let out a distressed groan as I brought my hand up to cover my face, trying my best to stifle my sobs as I remembered that I had slipped and told Cold I would try to be better. Now they would undoubtedly wonder if something was going on inside my house. I had even told them I'd get better grades... Just what had I been thinking?

Breathing in, I tried my best to calm down and stop my body from shuddering so much.

It took me a while, and that time was spent almost hyperventilating as I thought about how much trouble I was in, but eventually the tears stopped and I was able to look out at the ocean in front of me. And it was a beautiful paradise. The water was almost crystalline, the palm trees swooned with the breeze, and the only sound I could hear was that of the natives animal.

I have no idea where I was, but I know I loved it.

The scenery was just what I needed.

There, in that one place who's name I did not know, I felt serene and in peace.

And I began to think of my life choices.

I had taken the worst road I possibly could have to not have people worry about me... But the burn of the alcohol was so _alluring._ And the party had been fast and loud and boisterous enough to quiet my thoughts and doubts for a few hours... And the time I spent with the four drunk males I now gladly considered friends was the first time I felt comfortable enough to laugh loudly without trepidation.

Anybody else would tell me I was walking down the wrong path. Alcohol and parties led to mindless sex and unrestricted abuse of drugs.

But it's not like I would ever do those things. Well, at least, not the drugs.

Besides, my friends were my friends. Mike, Ike, and Kate seemed to be the only people I could talk to without having to worry about them finding out about my secrets. They didn't question when I didn't smile. No, they just made sure they did everything in their power to make me smile. They didn't make me dwell on the past but instead made me look forward to the future.

So what if Uncle Barry didn't like them? So what if the Rogues thought they were dangerous? These were my friends and no one was going to tell me they couldn't be!

As my thoughts became angrier, my fists tightened and I could feel my nails close to breaking skin.

They didn't care enough to make sure I wasn't being abused! They didn't care enough to see my changes in mood and how I wasn't the same kid as before! So why would I ever have to listen to them?! They never cared about me!

My breathing quickened and my chest once again tightened but this time was out of anger. And I knew not what to do other than to get up and scream at the sky, "I hate you all! I _depise_ you! I _loathe_ you! Fuck you and everything you believe in!"

And in my spurt of anger I decided I was tired of playing games. No more hiding my bad behavior. They wanted to act like they cared? Well then, I'd just give them enough reason to drop the façade and finally admit I was too much for them!

So, with a wicked smile, I began to run back to Central City at my top speed. No more would I run away from these people that unknowingly hurt me. And no more would I listen to them... Hell, I would do the exact opposite of what they told me to do. If I had to suffer in silence I would earn it!

* * *

On my way back, I stopped in Mexico to get some food before I passed out. I didn't really feel like eating much, my stomach was churning too much to really event think about anything going into it, but I forced myself so as to not pass out before I got back home.

While there, I checked my phone and cursed at the various missed calls and text messages decorating my screen.

Richard, Roy, Ollie, Aunt Iris, Uncle Barry, Hal, Clark, and even _Bruce_ himself had called in various occasions and Richard, Roy, Ollie, and Barry seemed to not have stopped texting me.

And I really didn't want to answer any of them, but I knew I owed one of them at least one call so they knew that I wasn't dead yet. And out of all the people there the only person that didn't fully scare me when angry was Oliver Queen, so I decided to call him.

He answered the phone in mid ring with a rushed, _~Wally, where were you!?~_

"Whoah, Ollie, calm down! I'm safe, I promise!" I rushed myself, hoping to calm the blonde down before he did anything too stupid. Like call my uncle.

 _~You're okay? Okay!? Wally, you ran away from your house and then from your uncle and friends! We've been searching for you for twelve hours!~_

I sighed softly at him but whispered my thanks to my server as he laid down a shot of tequila in front of me then gulped it down without a second thought. The burn was beautiful.

But I shook my head with a small whoop then smiled as I moved my phone from my left ear to my right side. "Ollie, calm down. I'm fine. Nothing's wrong. I promise, I'm okay and you don't have to worry about me."

There was a pause then Ollie growled, _~What the hell did you drink right now?~_

I rolled my eyes at his tone but walked out into the hot Mexican sun to smile up at the world. "Oh... You really want to know?" I asked in an almost taunting manner and in a split second decision decided to tell him the truth. "Tequila, Queen. And does it taste good."

 _~Tequila!? Wallace Rudolph West, where the fu-~_ He continued yelling even after I sighed so I just decided to interrupt him.

"Queen, Queen... Listen to me. I'm fine and in Mexico and making my way back home." I groaned softly as he began to yell about the dangers of alcohol. "You fucking hypocrite!" That shut him up. "You drink as if it were five pm every single hour, every single day! Don't give me the 'I'm holier than thou art' speech because you waste your fucking brain cells with the same vice!" I hissed, then sighed... "Listen, Ollie, I'm going back to Central now. Don't worry. Uncle Barry will call you as soon as I get back."

With that promise I hung up on him, ignoring the fact that he had started yelling at me and trying to reason with me.

Now with a half full stomach and a burn in my throat I began my journey back to Central, even though I took my sweet time.

And when I finally got there, night was beginning to fall and I didn't really feel like going to meet up with my fate just yet. So instead I called Kate and asked what was doing.

 _~I'm not doing anything too important right now... Tomorrow's a free day, Columbus day or whatever, so I've got nothing to do...~_ She told me with a sigh, but then spoke with a sly tone, _~Unless you're up for something, my favorite ginger.~_

I smiled slyly at her tone and nodded to myself as I began to walk in the direction of her house, "Well, I feel like doing something dangerous, my favorite blonde. Something that will undoubtedly get on my parents nerves."

There was a chuckle from her line, _~Still having your problems with them, huh? Well, do not worry! I have the perfect medication for your ailment!~_

With a chuckle I kicked a rock on the sidewalk, then asked, "Tell me what you're thinking of?"

 _~My friend, Alicia, is going to this party in the outskirts of Keystone; you know, in the warehouse district; I wasn't planning on going there because Mike and Ike were grounded, but I'm more than willing to go with you.~_

"Awesome. Got a car?" I asked her and heard her huff.

 _~Don't you have a license yet?~_

I laughed out loud at this. I needed this. Someone to make me laugh without questioning my sadness.

"No. You know this already, Kate. I'm only fifteen."

A moment of silence, then, _~Oh, yeah... Now I remember... Well, I guess we could take a cab. It would be smarter, anyways, if we're both going to have a good time.~_

"Okay, so, how long 'til you're ready?"

 _~Come over right now if you can. I was dressed up pretty because of one of my father's lame meetings so I can just go with what I'm wearing.~_

"Awesome." I beamed. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

And when I got to Kate's house I found her wearing a nice pair of form fitting jeans, high platforms that I had no idea how she was able to walk with them on, a white halter top that exposed her stomach, and short black jacket. She had been waiting for me at the front of her house with a taxi prepared and running.

As soon as she saw me she smiled and walked over to me, "I thought you were getting grounded because of your supposed escape."

I chuckled at her but waved her away, "I never said I didn't get grounded, Kate."

Her mouth became agape but her eyes danced with mirth, "Do you mean to tell me you snuck out of your house?"

With a smile I nodded and walked towards the taxi waiting for us. "My parents are smothering me, Kate. Of course I'm going to run away because of that."

Her lips opened to allow a melodious laugh to escape her and she climbed into the taxi while doing so. "Wally, you're a riot!"

"I know I am." I smirked then told the taxi driver where we were going.

Soon enough we were on our away and I decided to chat softly with my friend. We talked about anything and everything that came to mind- except for the reason _why_ I had snuck out of my house- and we arrived at the warehouse were the party was being held in... well... A flash.

Kate paid the driver with a smile then turned to me as the man drove away. "Ready to get your dance on?"

I know when my uncle finds me again he would kill me. And if he didn't, my aunt would. Sneaking out, running away, drinking alcohol, going to a party... Once they found me they were going to never let go from their horrid grasp. But just because they wouldn't want to let go of me didn't mean I wouldn't do my damnedest to prove them wrong and make them see I wasn't worth helping.

"I hope you know I'm ready. I'm only wondering how you'll keep up with me." I smirked at her and as we got closer to the warehouse, I couldn't help but notice how dark it looked on the outside.

But I followed Kate without question, knowing she would never steer me wrong.

And once we passed the threshold of the warehouse, the smile that made its way to my face couldn't have been any wider.

Loud and popping music, a sea of dancing bodies rubbing up against one another, and the irrefutable smell of alcohol mixing with sweat were the main three reasons as to why I was smiling. The fourth though was because I knew that I had finally chosen one straight path and wasn't going to go back on it.

I was a new Wally. And I needed this.

 **This was the hardest chapter to write. I don't know why, but I had almost no idea as to what I was doing. And I feel like the partying and drinking is becoming much too integral and I'm losing the string that I had begun the story with. And there's little to no Wally abuse in this and I'm going to fix that next chapter. Promise.**

 **So I really hope you liked the chapter and that you'll review~!**


	9. Chapter 9

"You fucking worthless piece of shit! Do you think you can run from me and get away with it without any kind of punishment!?"

A gasp left me as I felt a booted foot collide with my ribs, pain rippling through me as my father seethed over me.

I tried my best to breath through the pain, curling into myself as the man took a second to breathe, and tried my best to keep tears from spilling. But I was in so much pain... My body burned, and not in the good way alcohol had burned through my throat. No, this was a slow burn that grew in intensity as the seconds passed, flaring through my body and leaving nothing but pricks of distress in its wake.

The night had been so perfect... The party had been so fast and loud and I had been able to smile and dance and drink the night away... But all good things must come to an end and at about four in the morning Kate and I needed to go somewhere that wasn't a ditch by the outskirts of Keystone.

I hadn't wanted Kate to get hurt and I didn't want to go through any places that might have ruined our night, so I thought of places we could take shelter in our drunken states. And I had thought my parents would be asleep by this time but... I had been so wrong.

I regretted ever having decided to make my own choices because choosing independence left me in so much agony... It was torture, there was no other way to describe it, really.

Somehow- and I was still amazed by this- I had managed to get Kate into my room through the window and laid her down on my bed to rest. Her cheeks had been flushed and she was still laughing in an intoxicated stupor as I tucked her in, but she was soon out like a light as I left the room. I had been meaning to go to the guest room and sleep off my small alcohol induced haze, but had been blind sided by my father suddenly rushing into me and slamming me against the wall.

He had then proceeded to punch, kick, and strangle me, growling and hissing in pure unadulterated fury, brown eyes blazing as he glared at me.

Now I was on the floor and he had begun to kick at my stomach, ignoring my pained whimpering with each strike.

"Do you think we are retards, boy?! We know you ran away from us because you wanted freedom! But do you think you'll ever get it? You _fucking deserve_ it?"

With one final harsh kick to my stomach, this one knocking all the wind out of me as I wheeze of agony escaped my mouth, he knelt down beside me and grabbed my hair sharply in between his fingers.

"You, Wallace Rudolph West, belong to me. You are my property and will be mine until you pay off every single thing I ever had to waste on you!" He hissed into my ear, then moved his head down so it rested right above my collarbone. "And if I have to mark you for you to keep it in mind, I fucking will."

"AAHH!"

The scream was liberated from my mouth before I could even think about what the man was doing, but soon enough my mind caught up with the goings on around me. My father had bitten in my chest, biting as hard as he possibly could, to mark my chest with his teeth.

"Let me go!" I suddenly yelled, beginning to try and struggle, even though my beaten body could barely muster up the strength to even reach his shoulders to push him away.

The struggling, even with how futile it was, irked him, because the man punched my stomach so hard I felt something crack. A whimper of pain left me, then, with tears streaming down my eyes, I allowed my body to finally just give up and slacken in his grip.

He chuckled darkly as I finally submitted, but stood up and pushed me far away from him. "You better not have woken your mother."

With that final threat left hanging, my father stalked back into his room, slamming the door behind him.

And I was left in pure silence. Pure, deafening, all consuming, absolutely scary silence... Not a single thing around the house moved, not a single thing creaked... nothing made a noise... And the darkness was so absolute...

Choking back a sob, I lifted my hand to the place where my dad had bitten and felt the sick ooze of my own blood. With a disgusted shudder, I began to feel around my body for what injuries I had. Bruised ribs without a doubt, about two broken, I decided with a cringe. Then my hands went up to my arms and my chest, trailing over to see if anything was too bad.

My wrist was tender from when my father had thrown me onto the floor because I had tried to stop my fall, but only managed to hurt myself further. Then my upper arms were most probably already bruising from when he had grabbed me by both of them to slam me against the wall. My chest would be an ugly canvas of various shaped bruises and welts in the morning... All in all... This had been one of the worst beatings I'd received in a long while.

It was a miracle that he had not broken any bones.

Then my hand went up to my face and I flinched at the black eye that was forming.

After he had rushed me, the first thing my father had done was punch me straight in the left eye. It was bruised and swollen and it would be almost completely shut by the time the sun came around.

Most people... They say no matter what happens, there's always something good down the road. There's light at the end of the tunnel no matter what... But... How the hell could people that haven't felt my pain know how it feels? How could anyone fully know how it feels to have your parents loathe you and wish you never existed? How could anyone ever known the excruciating pain of being slapped around by a person that was supposed to protect you?

Tears continued falling from my eyes as I thought about all of this and I couldn't help but begin to sob softly.

Nobody would know how it feels. How it feels to be so broken. To be so useless. To be so worthless. Nobody would ever know how I feel unless they ended up living through my same situation... And even then, they would never know...

I didn't want Uncle Barry to know because he would never understand. He would only try to empathize, but he'd never fully understand why I keep everything under wraps. Neither would Aunt Iris or any of my friends. None of the would ever know how it feels like to not be able to breathe right because your father beat you into a bloody pulp.

When I finally moved dawn was just breaking and I could hear birds begin to croon in their melodious way. The dried blood on my body- which I had no idea was even caked on my skin- crackled in a sick manner as my body finally began to move once more and forced it out of the place it had once been laid over.

With groans and moans of pain I somehow managed to drag myself all the way towards the stairs banister and used that to try and get up. It took all of the force I had in my body to get up and even more than that to stay in that position.

My eyes were closed and my teeth were ground together as I tried to push through the pain trying to swallow me, but I didn't think I would be able to stand fully. My body was too busy repairing itself to fully listen to my commands and my need for balance. My ribs were on fire and my legs were protesting the use, but I was hoping against hope I'd at least be able to get to the guest bed before Kate began to look for me.

I'd need a very good excuse for looking as if I had gone five rounds against Chuck Norris...

But I had been right about my body not being able to hold.

I had placed my good hand on the banister to try and hold myself up, but with a sudden croak, I found myself tumbling down the stairs, aggravating every single one of my injuries on my way down. And when I reached the bottom of the steps I had been so intelligent that I tried to put my bad hand down to break my fall.

A macabre 'CRACK' resonated throughout the still house as soon as my hand made contact with the floor, a blood curdling, thunderous, and earsplitting scream making its way past my lips at the sudden shock of new kind of pain coursing up my hand and towards my pain receptors.

And for once I couldn't keep my pain bottled up. I _screamed_ and _wailed_ and _yelled_ and _cried_ as all of the pain- both emotional and physical- I had been put through hit me full force. My screaming was loud and shook me to my very core because I had no idea how much of this pain I had been bottling up before could come out just because of this one fall.

So I just lay there, my screams becoming whimpers, while cradling my broken wrist to my chest with my good hand. I was curled up in a ball, a position I knew all to well, a sobbing mess with freshly found tears making their way down my cheeks and pasty my ears.

It took me a while to notice there was someone beside me, to feel the hands on my back, and to hear the softly uttered words of comfort.

"Wally..." Kate breathed, somehow managing to keep her cool as her hand rubbed up my back while the other grazed over my injured arm. "You're fine... Stop screaming, please?" She asked me and that was when I heard myself screaming again.

Seconds passed with my screaming. A minute passed and my throat was too harsh and abused to make much noise. And after five more I was finally able to close my mouth and look up at her with bloodshot eyes.

"There we go, Walls. That's right. You can cry. I don't mind." Softly and as slowly as possible, Kate moved her body so she was sitting behind me and placed my head on her lap. "Big boys can feel pain too."

Her hands were so soft as they stroked my hair, brushing it out of my face so she could look down at me clearly. Her voice was soothing as she whispered sweet nothings into my ear. And her body was so warm as her heat radiated onto my cold and abused body...

"What happened down here?"

My body stiffened immediately on hearing my father's sleep deprived voice, but Kate answered before I could try to say anything.

"Wally fell down the stairs, sir. I think he broke his arm."

Gasp. Hurried footsteps. Then my father's worried face was in my eyesight, looking me over with an almost deranged frenzy behind them.

"Oh god, Walls, what happened to you?" He gasped, eyes filling with tears.

But I didn't answer anything. My throat hurt. My body hurt. My heart hurt. My... _Everything_ hurt.

Luckily, Kate was more than happy to offer an answer, "I think he got into a fight at the party last night, Mr. West. That would explain all of the injuries."

My father nodded and sighed, shaking his head, "I told you no parties, Walls. They're wild, crazy, and you could get hurt. Was I wrong?" He tutted but didn't wait for an answer as he changed his focus to Kate. "You're not supposed to be here either, young lady, but I'll scold you later on. We have to get the boy to the hospital so they can set a cast."

Kate immediately nodded, "Yes, sir. Do you need me to drive, or...?" She asked, fully worried about me even her hands never stopped stroking my hair.

My father frowned grimly but nodded once more, "I have to wake his mother up and call his uncle... It's not right to have you driving him around but my hands are tied." He concluded then got up from his place kneeling in front of me to walk towards the keys by the door. "Take him to the emergency room straightaway, but don't speed. We don't need any more accidents."

"Of course, sir!" Kate told him and from her frown I could tell she was determined to help me.

"I'll help you get him to the car." Dad offered then Kate was getting up, slowly placing my head on the floor.

I did my best to suppress my shudders of disgust and my whimpers of fear as my father picked me up by beneath the knees and my back, but even if those actions had escaped me, Kate would have just attributed them to my recent fall.

He placed me into the passenger's seat with a tenderness I had not experienced from either my father or mother in a very long time, but I did my best to smile at him as Kate slid into the driver's seat. My father nodded at her and soon she was turning the car on and my father was closing the door to let us leave as soon as possible.

Then we were zooming down the streets of Keystone city, Kate breathing heavily while trying to maintain her cool as she did her best to not crash and cause me further harm.

And as we drove in silence, hushed and restrained tears fell.

...

My father had treated me kindly because Kate was in front of me... If not for her, he would have left me in the middle of my house, wallowing in pain and despair as I tried to find a way to fix myself without inciting more of his wrath.

My parents were only ever kind in front of others...

They were just as good at being actors as I was... They knew just how to react in front of others to not warrant any kind of suspicion from them and played off of others emotions to divert any kind of misgiving and have it skimmed over...

...

Nobody would ever understand my pain. Nobody would ever understand why I kept everything under wraps.

But it was so much easier to grin and bear it than try to explain. Besides, who would ever believe me? The kid that's snuck out twice? The kid that admitted had drank alcohol and even behaved like an asshole to the people that loved him? The kid that always smiled brightly and never had anything bad happen to him? The kid that had supposedly never known what actual pain felt like?

Nobody would ever know how I felt at this moment in time.

And nobody would ever care.

... ... ... one breath... ... second breath... ... My breathing was becoming more erratic as I began to hyperventilate...

I didn't blame them for not caring... ... Third breath, fourth... Fifth, sixth, seventh... ... I didn't even care anymore.

Eighth, ninth, tenth.

Then.

Darkness at last.

 **Once more, this chapter hurt to write. I was listening to Lady Gaga's song, 'Till it Happens to You', and this was greatly inspired by just that. It's a beautiful song, really, speaks about college rape and how one should be patients with victims and not push them into recovery. But it fit so perfectly for this chapter that I've heard it about ten times in the course of writing.**

 **If you haven't heard it, do. It's beautiful and powerful. Slightly on the sad side, but this dark side of reality has to be spoken of.**

 **Anyways, please review.**


	10. Chapter 10

Steady beeping. A calmed heart beat. Drowsy and nonthreatening dreams. And the lack of a constricting vice around my chest. Every single one of these nice and calming things let me know I was most probably under some type of sedation. Because if I were just resting and not affected by any drugs, I would not be caught in a peaceful haze but instead gripped in the claws of violent nightmares.

Slowly consciousness came back to me an I was pulled away from the serene nothing that came from what was most probably morphine. This annoyed, I had wanted to cling to the peace for a bit longer, but wasn't allowed to dwell too much on that because there was an uncomfortable warmth gripping my non-broken hand.

I groaned softly as my body began to listen to my mind then I opened my eyes with some difficulty.

The first thing I found was a bright light shining over me. With a hiss I closed my eyes once more and tried to move either of my hands to shield my face, but found both of them being held down. The broken one was held down by a type of binding that was soft and certainly not made for meta humans while my good one... There was the warmth of a hand there holding it down.

"Wally?"

I hissed as my head quite literally vibrated when I heard the voice speak up, but did my best to ignore the pain that was beginning to blossom and blink to slowly adjust my eyes to the lighting.

"He's awake?" A new voice asked, and this one sounded much gruffer and older than the first one.

"Yeah. I think he's just getting used to the light."

My senses came back to me slowly and I figured out that there were at least two people inside this room with me, and one was holding my hand with their own. Both were males, though, and I felt as if I knew them.

"Good... God... Barry's going crazy out there."

There was a rustle and soon I felt whatever I was lying on dip softly, right beside my legs.

"And that girl's parents are not helping at all."

When I was finally able to open my eyes with only a bit of pain spurting, I was able to look at the people that were in the room apart from myself. A flash of red hair that wasn't mine and another of black hair met me.

They were Dick and Roy. What were they doing here?

One of them sighed, Dick, I thought, "Kate Huxley's parents are not people to be messed with, Roy. Neither should her daughter be insulted in the way you did."

Roy scoffed at him, "Oh, really? And who else is to blame for Wally's injuries? Who else would have hurt him in this manner?" The older teen's head shook from one side to another in a deliberately slow and annoyed manner, "His _parents_? Dick, there was no one else in the house to have hurt him like this. It was either that girl or someone at the party that _she_ lured him to!"

I felt my body tense at Roy's anger, feeling like it was completely unjustified because Kate had only ever been nice to me, but kept my mouth shut. I was getting more information out of them now that they thought I was knocked than I would get if they thought I was awake.

Dick sighed heavily, "Roy, we don't know the full story. And Kate herself admitted that she was too drunk to know what happened to him. It's actually a miracle there aren't any news reporters here to swoop in on the story..." Then the boy chuckled bitterly, "I can just see the headline: _Senator's Daughter's Drunken Ordeal Lands Young Boy in Hospital_."

"And that title wouldn't be far from the truth, Dick. If Wally _did_ get in a fight, it would have had to be at the party. And the idiot wouldn't have risked his identity by fighting them off, leading to him being this hurt and weakened when he got home. _And_ he was at least a bit drunk because he broke his arm _falling_ down the _stairs!_ "

I couldn't argue with that. I had, in fact, broken my arm by falling. But the wounds didn't come from a fight. They came from a beating. One my dad gave me.

There was a pause in the conversation and I looked at them, only to find them both staring back at me. Apparently, they hadn't been counting on me waking up so early.

"Walls? Are you okay?" Dick immediately asked, seemingly trying to shove the conversation he'd just had with Roy away.

I blinked up at him, trying to focus in on the question, then smiled softly and nodded. "Uh, yeah. The morphine's doing a good job..." I mumbled and clearly both teens didn't like my answer.

Roy was sitting down beside my legs so I figured he had been the reason why I felt the bed dip a few minutes ago, then I noticed that I was in an actual hospital. Huh... Kate really _had_ driven me here. She had not tried to wash her hands of me as soon as I fainted. She _was_ trustworthy.

Silence reigned over us as Roy and Dick seemed to have a silent conversation, but that was broken when someone opened the door to the room. In stepped my uncle, red faced and fuming, with Ollie and both my parents following.

I immediately froze at the sight of my parents almost mourning faces and had to remind myself to breathe in and out before anyone caught on with what was happening. But nobody seemed to notice my tenseness because they looked to be much too busy focusing on Barry to even remember I was in there.

"Their kid takes my nephew to an out of control party then they tell me that it was my kid's fault?" Uncle Barry fumed, stomping his way to throw himself down on one of the chair's at my bedside.

Ollie sighed and patted his back softly, "Calm down, Barry. Fighting with the man will get you nowhere. Besides, you know Bruce is out there talking some sense into the old man."

Barry shoved his face into his hands and breathed out heavily, trying to calm himself. I glanced from them over to my parents, only to find that they were both glaring at me. Silently telling me to keep my mouth shut unless I wanted something worse happening to me. And like the coward I am I nodded, wanting to let them know I wasn't about to jeopardize my life.

"Uncle Barry?" I croaked, and I winced at how raw my voice sounded and how sore my throat felt.

Immediately he looked up and smiled softly at me, then that fell into a frown and he was beside me, hugging me tightly to his body.

"We were so worried, kid! You ran away from home and Ollie told me you went to _Mexico_ ; what were you doing in Mexico?" He asked, interrupting himself from his own story. But he didn't wait for an answer from me before he continued. "And then your dad calls us that you got home at four in the morning and _fell down the stairs_! What were you thinking getting into a fight!?"

As he spoke, his words became faster and faster and I could tell most around us didn't understand him, but I did. And I could only flinch and look away from him as I began to think up of a good lie to not dig myself in too deep.

Taking in a big breath, I spoke in a hoarse and gravelly voice, "At the party, one guy got too handsy with Kate." I shook my head now and narrowed my eyes, looking at my broken arm. "I shoved him off and he left, but soon came back with two friends of his..." Closing my eyes, I breathed out and my ribs shuddered in pain, "I couldn't fight them off."

I could tell that my uncle's gears were turning inside his mind and he was connecting every single dot from every single story I've told him and from all the things that had happened, then I heard Ollie sigh heavily. I looked up at the blonde and he only smiled apologetically at me.

Had he told my uncle about the tequila? Because the blonde hadn't even mentioned it in his questioning.

"Did you see their faces?" My father spoke up, hugging my mother from behind. "I mean, we could call the police in and have them make a full investigation."

He was playing the worried father card well. But I knew just what to answer.

"I don't want any investigation. I don't want any more problems with those people..." I whispered, then looked away as the words sunk in.

Dick was the first to react. And he was angry.

"What the heck, Walls?! These guys beat you half to death! They deserve to be arrested!" He growled as he jumped up from his seat, glaring down at me. "They're dangerous and could hurt someone else!"

I glared back at him but shook my head, "I don't care. I'm staying silent. I don't want any police nor any type of investigation. You're not getting anything from me."

"Kid, you can't possibly tell me you wouldn't want to see these guys taken to justice." Uncle Barry told me softly, as if he were trying to calm me down.

But it took all my will power to not blow up at him. I didn't want the police involved because I would be lying! And if they found out I was lying, it was only a matter of time before someone figured out that my dad was the one that hurt me. Unfortunately, the truth always found a way to come out. And I wasn't ready for this particular truth to reach the light of day.

"Well I don't and that's the end of that." I growled at him, nostrils flaring as I tried my best to breathe slowly.

My uncle looked at me with what seemed to be shock mixed with worry, but didn't say anything because Ollie beat him to the punch. "Listen, guys, Wally's just been through an ordeal. Hounding him on it is not going to make him feel any better."

"I don't care about that, Ollie. He got hurt and he doesn't want to speak about it now." Roy growled at his ex-adoptive father. "I don't know about you, but I want to get some revenge on these people." Now Roy turned to me and glared with his blue eyes. "And I don't care how long it takes, I will find out who did this."

I rolled my eyes at him and raised my good hand and waved him away, "Don't care what you think, Roy. My lips are sealed."

Now I looked away from him and towards the wall at the far end of the room, but I did not miss the glance both Roy and Dick shared as soon as they thought I was in fact looking away. They actually thought they were going to figure everything out. Those poor fools.

A few minutes of silence passed and I was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable just laying in a bed without doing anything, but a sudden flash of a thought had me talking again.

"Where's Kate? The only thing I remember is her driving me to the hospital, but nothing more after that..."

Every other person in the room remained silent until Ollie sighed and spoke up. Apparently, nobody wanted to tell me the bad news.

"Walls... You've been- what's the word? _Forbidden_ from ever seeing Kate Huxley until this whole mess has been cleared up."

I immediately jumped on the bed and sat up, ignoring the tear from the IV's on my broken arm. "What!? But I did nothing! I did nothing to her and there's no reason for her parents to-" I was going to finish, but Uncle Barry stopped me.

"Her parents weren't angry with you, kid. They were more annoyed with Kate for not telling them where she went rather than with you for being her... I mean, you _protected_ her from getting hurt and offered her a place to sleep off the alcohol." Then he leaned back in his chair and scratched at his neck. He was uncomfortable. He was going to tell me something bad.

My mother beat him, though, "We don't want _you_ anywhere near _her,_ Wally. She's dangerous and is clearly a wild child. Not an influence you need in your life."

One heart beat. A second one. A third beep from the machine.

"What the hell!?" I burst, "She's done nothing!"

"That's what you think, young man," My mother hissed, "But this is the second time we find her with you when you get in trouble. And I don't believe in coincidences."

"We've decided that it's for the best that you don't interact with her anymore, son." Dad told me. "And we really don't want you to fight us on this. It's for the best."

Translation: Shut up or I will hurt you as soon as I deem fit.

So I did. I lay back down on the bed and curled up on my side, pulling the blankets up on my body. "Leave me."

And I closed my eyes.

One by one they each left, pained to leave me alone when they thought that I needed some type of comfort, but I didn't care. Kate was a good friend of mine. I didn't want her to not be. And because of the Rogues, I'm sure I wouldn't be allowed to hang out with Mike and Ike anymore.

When I thought they had all left, I breathed out and opened my eyes, only to find that Ollie was standing there with his arms crossed.

"We need to talk, young man."

I had honestly thought the hard times were past. I was very wrong.

Right now I wished I was stuck in the room with my abusive parents rather than Ollie. Because his words hurt a thousand times more than my parents hits ever would.

Damn.

 **Please review.**


	11. Chapter 11

I didn't fear Ollie.

Well, actually, I didn't fear what Ollie might do to me physically. But the man was no idiot and he could tell when something was off. He was like another uncle to me and he loved me as much as I did him, so he would know just as well as Barry when something was up. And he wasn't clouded by familial love like my real uncle, so he might be able to catch on to something.

Bruce might have, too, but he had yet to speak to me. And that was just the way I was keeping it.

So, in reality, I only feared what Ollie was capable of doing to get to real answers. Which included bribery and black mailing me if he didn't like what I told him.

"Now, Wally." He breathed out, moving to sit down beside me, "I'm sure you noticed, but just in the case that you didn't, your uncle didn't know anything about our little phone call apart from the fact that you were in Mexico and you contacted me." He informed, blue eyes boring into mine. "I didn't withhold information because I wanted to keep you safe. I just wanted to keep him from doing something he would have regretted later on."

I knew he was telling the truth. If he had told Uncle B that I had been drinking tequila... Well... He was being nice to me now because I was injured. But if he had known I'd been drinking for much longer, he would not have hesitated in scolding reprimanding me, even if there were others around.

"Your uncle told us that the Rogues came looking for him when they found you. And they said they found you running around with a couple of trouble makers in their headquarters' parking lot."

I gulped almost inaudibly in fear. Had the Rogues told my uncle of my outburst? Did he know what I wished he didn't? If he did, why was he still hanging around my parents as if they were the greatest thing since whip cream?

Ollie leaned back in his chair and stroked his goatee. "They told us they brought you in as soon as they found you and, of course, scolded you. Then your Uncle told us that you took off running after having socked Rory in the jaw because you just... flew off the handle." His blue eyes glanced away for a second, then were looking at me with sharp intensity. "But their story has a gap in it and so does your uncle's. There's something either they're not telling us, or he's not telling us."

My eyes widened as he frowned down at me, now leaning forward so he could look me straight in the eyes. "Your Uncle told us James wasn't in his usual happy-go-lucky mood when the Rogues finally got him. And he didn't really have an explanation for it because nothing ever gets that kid down. And it couldn't have been you running away, because the kid was just as surprised to see you were gone as your uncle."

"What did you do that had James so quiet?"

I looked away from him the instant the question left his lips, not daring to really say anything. The Rogues hadn't said anything? They hadn't told my uncle about my outburst and how they found with intoxication clear on me? And my uncle had seen James sad but couldn't explain it either? No wonder Ollie said there were gaps in both their stories. But the gaps in my uncle's telling were because of the gaps in the Rogues'.

Normally, I wouldn't use my powers of speed to think. I would find it kind of arbitrary to think in a fast pace and rather enjoyed to keep a slow pace to remind myself that I was just human. And I would not use them around my uncle when in trouble because he could easily catch me thinking fast. But Ollie... I knew he knew me, but if I was lucky, he wouldn't be able to differentiate me thinking in a fast pace and me thinking in a normal one.

Unconsciously biting at my lower lip, I began to think up of anything that might get me out of the situation.

First of all, what did he know and what did he not?

Ollie knew I had been in Mexico drinking tequila. And he knew that I had burst out on the Rogues and punched Rory. And he knew that I had snuck into the house at four in the morning with Kate Huxley after a wild teenage party.

But he did _not_ know that I had been on my way to drunk when the Rogues found me. Nor did he know that I had emotionally broken down in front of them, promising to be better and almost giving my darkest secret away by doing just that, and then punched Rory. And he did not know that I had been pretty okay until my father had beaten me to a bloody pulp.

He was here now because I had fallen down the stairs and knew a bit more than my own uncle will. And he was here because he at least cared enough to see I was acting differently.

What could I tell him?

I was merely a teenager acting up? No, that would never work. He was much too intelligent to listen to just that.

Maybe... I had overheard my mother telling one of her friends that she and my father were trying for a second child. Not many people close to my family knew, so I guess Ollie didn't either. I could tell him that I was just acting up and being rebellious because my parents were ignoring me and much too busy trying to make things work for another child to pay attention to me.

But that wouldn't explain why I was drinking in Mexico...

With a small flutter in my chest, I almost smiled and gave away the fact that I was thinking up of an answer.

"I know you won't believe me..." I began, already planting the seeds for him to give me a bit more leeway and try his best to believe me. "But my parents... They've been kind of angry with me lately."

A blonde eyebrow quirked but Ollie didn't say a thing. So I continued.

"I got a D on an English test," _'Not a lie',_ "Then I flunked my Spanish midterm," _'Two truths, I'm amazed with myself',_ "And then I blew up at them because they tried to tell me that I needed to get my grades up to get in a good college." _'Ah, here are the lies I am so accustomed to'._ "Well, that only made matters worse and now I'm walking on eggshells with them." Then I raised my good hand and rubbed at my forehead. "Then they told me that they were trying to give me a little sister or brother and I... Well... It hurts..." I breathed out, forcing tears to come to my eyes to try and fool him. "It hurts to know I'm not good enough for them..." I whispered.

Ollie shifted softly after I had spoken up, but didn't say anything. I had to slather it on heavy now. And the lies that were about to tumble from my mouth were so comforting that they washed away the bitter taste of the small amount of honesty I had said had left.

"I ran away because I felt like my parents don't want me anymore. And they don't need me either." Now my voice cracked and I almost patted myself on the back for acting so well, "I ran to Mexico because nobody asks anything down there... And I needed a break, Ollie... I'm not a perfect boy that can grin and bear everything... I have feelings too..." I looked up at him, tears brimming my eyes, "I'm sorry that I made you worry... I just wanted to forget for once..."

Immediately the man sat up and took me in his arms, hugging me close to his body while stroking at my wild red hair. "Oh, Walls..." he sighed, shaking his head softly, "Alcohol is never the answer..."

"I know!" I gasped out, raising my good hand to grip at his black jacket tightly. "I know it was wrong and I know I should never have done it, but I-!" I yelled out, choking back a sob, "I couldn't help myself! I knew it would get me in trouble, but people finally paid attention to me again!"

And after yelling that out I was reduced to a quivering child, sobbing and crying as Ollie did his best to just try and calm me down. He spoke in a soothing tone and rubbed my back in circles, like I'm sure he had done to Roy many years ago, telling me that I was completely wanted and that I should never have resorted to such a stupid thing to get attention.

But he was a man that knew how teenagers acted. Roy himself had turned to alcohol about three years ago when Ollie had to leave for a very long League mission. So he thought that my story fully added up and that the blanks left by the Rogues were now filled.

I had never been prouder of my ability to lie.

Once I had finished crying and Ollie had made sure I wasn't about to start sobbing again, he held me by the shoulders and looked me square in the eyes.

"I get what you were doing, kid, but you went about it the wrong way. And I don't feel comfortable keeping such important information from your family." He told me, seeming so sincere that my throat closed up in guilt.

But I shook my head to try and clear it from those traitorous thoughts. I had to keep up the lie. I couldn't let anybody else figure my secret out.

He took this as me telling him I didn't want to tell anyone, "Walls, you were drinking tequila. That's not safe for someone your age."

... At least he didn't know I shook my head for my sake rather than as an answer.

"I know, but... What if I don't do it again? I promise I won't touch a _drop_ of alcohol until I'm 21!" I pleaded, opening my eyes so they were now mimicking a kicked puppy look. Usually, this would guilt trip him.

I could see how his shoulder's tensed and did a small victory dance inside my own mind.

"I don't... I can't..." He stuttered, then sighed and looked down, "You're grounded, right?"

I nodded rapidly, doing my best to not smile in victory.

"Promise me you'll follow the terms of this punishment to a t, never touch alcohol again until you're at least _2_ _5_ , and I won't tell anyone about anything."

I cheered both inside and outside and hugged him tightly. It was back to acting like buffoon Wally once more.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I told him, smiling broadly, "I won't do it ever again, promise!"

He chuckled at me and patted my back, "I know you won't. Now, why don't you tell me just how you met someone like Kate Huxley? If she's anything like her mother, I would expect her to be the biggest prude on-"

"She kind of is." I interrupted him before he finished, then nestled back into the bed my smile still in place.

My secret was safe for at least one more day.

"She's only my friend now because I knew her back in first grade. And she has a boyfriend, just so you know, a guy named Mike Ferdinand."

His eyes widened in a comical fashion, "Wait... You mean to tell me you're not hanging out with her just to get some action?"

My face reddened at this and for once I wasn't acting. I was completely embarrassed just by the thought.

"Of course not! I'm not some hormonal stereotype that only looks at women to get lucky!" Now I raised my good hand and slapped him, all the while the unabashed Oliver Queen only chuckled at my reaction, "Just how much trash do you have in that mind of yours?"

"Sorry! Sorry!" He apologized even though his face was still covered up by that mirthful smile. "I just... You know... I just thought you were quite the ladies man."

Now I groaned in an exaggerated manner, "Ollie!"

He laughed once more and shoved me by my arm, and I only swatted at his hand.

Then we began to talk about anything and everything that came to mind, and for once I felt comfortable around an adult. It was the first time I didn't feel like he was talking to me to get information or to just fill time.

Ollie was talking to me because he wanted to.

And I had repaid his kindness by lying to him.

I was despicable. No wonder I kept the truth hidden.

 **So, yeah, Wally's an idiot. BUT! Do not worry, kind readers, the plot shall thicken even further in the next chapter! And Wally will have even more reason to keep the abuse a secret!**

 **Hope you liked it!**


	12. Chapter 12

I was made to stay in the hospital for one more day before I was released into the care of my parents. Both Dick and Roy stayed with me- through the day and night- and played video games, as if trying to regain a sense of normalcy in our lives. I was grateful for that.

But it's not like just one night of playing and goofing around like old times was going to get me to wish to tell my friends the truth. I had risked too much and lied too many times to turn back now. I was in too deep.

My parents came to pick me up the following morning and they were smiling like the proud parents they wanted people to believe they were. But I could see right through their masks and felt a sinking feeling deep inside my stomach. This would be the first time I had ever caused so many people to see me when I was hurt. They would most probably punish me for being so dramatic.

Once home their faces reverted back to their semi-permanent scowls and my father pushed me through the threshold of my house.

"Go to your room and don't come out until we say so." He grunted, heading his way into the kitchen to grab a beer.

I scoffed but moved up the stairs, ignoring the pain of each jostling to my ribs.

The doctors had insisted that I call the police and at least try to get these people off the streets; if not for my sake, then for others. And I knew my friends wouldn't ease up on their please so I gave them yet another believable lie. 'Their faces were blurry, I couldn't see them clearly'. They had a bit of a hard time believing me, but then I told them that I had tasted a funny drink at the party and they didn't question any more.

These guys could be so gullible sometimes...

Once I reached my room I sighed heavily and threw myself at the bed, wincing as all my injuries screamed out at the slight abuse. Then I decided that sleeping was in order because I would still have to go to school tomorrow.

And I fell asleep.

* * *

"You're not believing a single word, are you, Wayne?" Ollie asked as he stopped in his explanation of what Wally had told him to see the slightly younger man was scowling right at him.

"Of course not, Oliver." Bruce grunted, shaking his head. "Wallace West has never acted in such a manner before. Not even when he first heard Barry and Iris _might_ have been having a kid a few years ago."

Oliver frowned now, remembering the pregnancy scare the Allen's had experienced when Wally was about ten years old. The kid had been so elated to find out he might have been having a younger cousin that he just would not stop talking about it. Even Roy and Dick got tired of having to listen to the stories he would come up with as adventures for them.

His reaction five years ago was the exact opposite of the one he was supposedly having now.

"He was crying, Bruce. He sobbed into my arms and begged me for forgiveness." Ollie tried to convince the black haired man, but Bruce shook his head once more.

"Yes, he was crying for forgiveness. I'm just not totally convinced he was apologizing for this specific situation." Bruce muttered to himself, turning around to face the windows of the hospital.

Below them he could see Barry, Dick, and Roy all waving goodbye to Wally and his parents, the red headed teenager smiling broadly and waving back at them. Mary and Rudy West were smiling and laughing at whatever joke Barry had just cracked and the three seemed like a perfectly normal family.

Why, then, did Bruce get the feeling that there was something horribly wrong with the Team's resident speedster?

Ollie sighed and leaned against the window to look at the scene. And he smiled softly.

"The kid's been through quite the ordeal, Bruce. Getting beat up at a party for protecting a girl? Then having your parents forbid you from ever seeing said girl ever again?" The blonde shook his head and breathed out slowly, "Maybe he's not acting like himself because he's having a small bout of teenage angst."

Both men remained quiet for a moment, then Bruce grunted and looked at Ollie through narrowed eyes.

"You and I both know very well that no amount of teenage angst would turn a happy and hyperactive boy from what he was to running away to Mexico, drinking tequila, and _lying_ to his family."

Ollie crossed his arms and felt like biting something back at the detective, insulting him for being so thick headed and not believing the young red head, but there was a voice at the back of his head that was telling him there was something wrong.

So, instead, Ollie smirked at the younger, "You're the great detective here, Bruce. How about your next investigation be just what's wrong with our young speedster?"

Bruce scowled at this- Ollie knew the young man didn't like talking about their double lives out in public- but nodded tersely.

He was going to get to the bottom of this mystery.

* * *

"Get up, Wallace!"

With a groan I rolled over to the side of my bed and cracked my eyes open, only to find my mother standing at the door with her arms crossed.

"I've been calling you for the past five minutes!" She growled, tapping her foot furiously. "Just how dumb and thick headed must you be to not listen to your own _mother_ calling your name?" She hissed, green eyes narrowing in anger.

I looked away from her with a frown, but didn't say anything as I began to get up. The sleep I had gotten had been enough to make the bruises on my body turn from a vibrant purple to a healing yellow and I knew they would be gone by tomorrow, which was a problem because Kate had seen them. But I would worry about keeping my secret identity safe later on.

First I had to survive whatever my parents had cooked up for me.

Slowly I walked towards my mother, not putting on any kind of shoes over my socked feet because I knew they hated it whenever I walked around the house in socks. I didn't want to get them pissed off, but I wasn't going to just let them abuse me without giving them a slight reason for it.

"Come on. Your father's downstairs waiting to eat dinner because of you."

I didn't say anything as my mother shoved me forward and just walked down the stairs of my house, immediately going to the kitchen table to find Dad sitting there with an empty plate in front of him. I sat down at the chair farthest from him and looked down at the plate before me. It was also empty.

I was about to ask just what we were going to eat- finally I could feel the hunger claw at my stomach, however faint it might have been- but my mother showed up just then with a large lasagna in tow. She placed it in the middle of the table and actually began to serve me. She caught up a rather large piece and placed it on my plate, even though she was scowling as she did so.

And I couldn't even stop myself from looking at them with wide eyes.

The last time either of them had ever served my food was when I was about... ten years old, actually. And it had been lasagna that time as well.

But I didn't question it and began to eat, not really wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth. The pasta was slightly overcooked and tough, but I didn't mind. My parents had actually given me food without needing a visitor in the home! Just what were they playing at?

"Wallace." My father called, making me look up from devouring the food and at him.

He sat with his arms crossed, scowl in place. "We need to talk, you worthless piece of shit."

I winced at the harsh words and allowed my utensils to fall onto the table... I knew it was too good to be true. I knew something terrible would have been planned if they were actually being civil towards me.

The man continued as if insulting me was as easy as breathing. "Your recent expeditions have put this family in jeopardy. Running away all the way to Mexico? Did you _want_ your so-called friends to think there was something wrong with you?"

Now my mom cut in, "They all know there's something wrong with you, sweetie, just so you know. They only hang around you because they _have_ to because of your hero work."

My heart clenched at her abrasive words... She had said them as if she were saying something as obvious as the sun was a star or the moon was one of Earth's satellites. But her nonchalance made the insult so much more worse than if she had just insulted me right to the face.

"But we can't have you running around like a mad man. Especially now." My father continued as if my mother had never interrupted him.

They'd always had this odd way about communicating with other people when they were together. It's as if they were quite literally one mind. And they always spoke rather eloquently, even though my father had only gotten his high school certificate. My mother had been the only one to go to college.

"Now, you _know_ you were an accident, right?" He asked me, brown eyes burning into me. "Your mother and I were only twenty years old when you popped in and we had to stall our lives just to accommodate your useless ass."

Internally, I winced and flinched and cried at his hurtful words, but outwardly I just stared at him with a blank expression on my face.

"Your mom studied journalism because I was working as a full time mechanic to get us through. And now you know we live a pretty good life, even though we would have been better off if you had never arrived." He continued, waving his hand slowly, "Which is why your mother and I have decided it was about time we raised a good one."

Now they both remained silent, looking at me through their own blank faces. We were just a family of people not willing to show off their emotions. I guess the apple really didn't fall far from the tree.

Then his words processed in my mind.

"Wait a minute!" I gasped suddenly, standing up so abruptly that my chair fell backwards.

The crash that came from the furniture made me cringe and my father's face flashed with rage, but I spoke up before he could punish me.

"You mean you're pregnant?!" I gasped, looking at my mother with wide eyes. "I'm going to have a younger brother?"

They both nodded tensely, clearly annoyed with me, but I didn't care because I was internally freaking out.

I had only used that as an excuse! I only said my parents wanted a child because I needed Ollie to believe me! But I had never wanted it to actually happen! I swear I would never _ever_ want anyone else to be put through this abuse! And that's just what would happen to my younger sibling if my parents went through with this pregnancy.

"I'm a thirty four year old woman, Wallace. Don't act as if the world is ending." My mother rolled her eyes then looked down at the food. "We're going to finish dinner as a family then you are to go into your room and not come out. You are still grounded after all."

With that both my parents began to eat, ignoring me as I internally began to freak out. I glanced down at the plate of lasagna in front of me and found my stomach twisting with disgust.

"I'm not hungry anymore." I whispered, pushing my plate away and bending to pick up the chair I had knocked back. "I'll go to my room now."

Neither said a word as I trudged up the stairs, a tight and sick feeling crawling its way into my chest.

A little brother... or sister...

I wanted to cry for their sake. No child deserved to be born into this whirlwind of abuse and neglect.

And I could do nothing to save them. I was a worthless super hero.

 **So I had a reviewer that asked me two questions I want to answer:**

 **Siah1: I don't think Jason will be a character in this story. I usually have him pop up in all my stories, but for this one I just feel like Wally going through the ordeal alone. He feels alone, thinks himself despicable, and wouldn't really allow anyone to help him. And for Roy's drug addiction... I honestly have no idea if it will show up or not. But if it does, it'll be to show Wally _everyone_ around him is human and mistakes are something everyone commits.**

 **For the rest, don't freak out about me not updating yesterday. It's been a tough two days and it was hard to squeeze in any writing time- even now. But because of the angst I've been feeling, I've found myself fueled to continue writing Wally angst.**

 **So I hope you have a good day and don't freak out again if I don't update. Life _is_ hectic when you're a senior in high school. Just be patient, please?**


	13. Chapter 13

~We need you to come to The Cave.~

I blinked at the message on my phone, still a bit too sleepy to actually understand what it meant because it was three thirty in the morning on a Friday. It had been sent from Kaldur's phone, making me guess that it was kind of mandatory for me to go if the leader of the Team had sent it.

After my parents had made their pretty huge announcement, I had attended school with bruising make up and a prosthetic around my eye to simulate the injuries I was supposed to have. And the thoughts on my new little brother or sister that would be born into such a dysfunctional family were at the front of my mind, taking up most of my thinking time.

Kate had been scared when she first saw me in homeroom- she had snuck in from her own classroom just to check up on me- and I didn't have the heart to tell her that my parents had forbidden me from seeing her. And Mike and Ike seemed livid and just ready to start throwing punches at whoever even looked at me the wrong way.

I had felt despicable at their caring actions.

But I had decided that I couldn't go to school today and told my friends just that before school ended the previous day.

"I thought I could do." I told them with a sad smile, "But I'm jostling all my injuries and my ribs hurt like a bitch..."

Then I looked away, not really wanting to face them in case they grew angry with me. But they didn't. Mike only placed his hand on my shoulder and smiled at me, "Hey, bro, I get it. Captain of the football team here."

Ike had given me two thumbs up and Kate had hugged me, then they left me as I began my lonely walk home.

I felt bad for lying to them, but I had literally not been able to pay attention in class because of the stress that began to eat away at me. A little brother. I had always wanted one. Back when I was still a kid I would ask my parents where babies came from and if they could ship us a baby brother, preferably one with red hair and _brown_ eyes so they could distinguish us easily.

Now, though, my frame _quaked_ at the thought of even having another inhabitant in this house to receive the motley of abuse I had been subjected to. And because that was the only thing I could really think of, I knew that I couldn't take my chances and attend school without first trying to completely compose myself.

And today was supposed be for just that. For me to collect my thoughts and organize myself.

Once I had picked up the phone from the floor- I left it charging beside my bed's outlet, which usually meant it rested on the floor instead of any furniture- I began to type my own text message.

~When?~

I had been thinking of giving him an explanation for my question because I usually always jumped at the chance to head over to the Mountain, but decided against it. If he didn't know what I had done, I didn't want to have to explain anything.

In the minutes it took the Atlantean to answer me, I rolled back onto my bed and wrapped the sheets tighter around my body. Keystone City was beginning to feel the effects of the coming winter even though it was barely mid-October and my parents weren't the kind to waste money on heat in my room. So I had only my sheets and comforter to brave the cold that surrounded me.

It wasn't too cold, really, but cold enough that my feet and hands were uncomfortable and I had to curl my fingers and toes to try and regain some type of heat.

Then my phone buzzed and I scooped it up once more.

~B asked us to come in tomorrow, Saturday. And to get here, at latest, noon. But I am here now.~

Clicking my tongue, I thought about the pros and cons of visiting the Mountain today. I hadn't seen my teammates in about a week and a half- the whole Fate fiasco with Zatanna had kind of knocked us for a loop- but it would be nice to be able to hang with my friends and not worry about much.

Then I remembered the fact that my throat would close up whenever I thought of the impending doom that would come from the unborn child in my mother's womb and decided against going today.

~I'll come in tomorrow. See you, Fish Sticks.~

With those simple words I turned my phone off and sighed heavily, throwing my good arm over my eyes and shut them tight.

"I wish life were simpler."

My please were usually met with silence. And today was no different.

* * *

"The Wall Man has arrived!" I called as I raced into the room, wearing a bright smile on my face as the teleporter announced my arrival.

Friday had been... A good day, if you could call it that. My parents had left me alone in my house- after locking every single escape route rather heavily- and I had just lounged around catching up on the homework Kate and Ike sent my way.

But I had yet to be able to keep my reactions under control whenever I even _saw_ a baby. On my walk to he Zeta Teleporter in Keystone, I had seen a happy mother bouncing her young, red headed child up and down on her hip and I suddenly saw my father smacking that kid's head and... I had run away from that spot as fast as possible.

It was hard, knowing you parents hadn't wanted you from the beginning and that the only reason you were alive was because of their Christian beliefs. But it was agony knowing they hurt you and hated you so much that they were willing to go into new kinds of debt to wash you away and replace you with another child.

But it was _pure_ , _deafening_ , and _heart clenching_ _torture_ to know that if that new kid, with all the expectations dumped onto their shoulders before they could even walk, didn't live up to those expectations, they'd get hurt just as you had. And you couldn't do anything about it.

My thoughts had consumed me so much that by the time it was dinner time and my parents were back in the house, I hadn't even had breakfast. Once they had given me my food and insulted me a bit over dinner, I had asked them if I could go out to a diner real quick and waste my money on some extra food.

They had said yes only because the money hadn't come out of their own pocket.

And I think I almost ate that diner out of food, but I didn't care because I had been able to eat finally, and able to quench my hunger. Then, as soon as I was back in my room and under lock and key, I felt sick and disgusting once more. I had decided to eat happily and gorge myself even though there was a life at stake.

It took me all my willpower to eat any food in the morning.

And now I was in the cave, wearing the mask I knew as Wally while I tried to shove all thoughts about babies to the back of my mind to just try and get through whatever practice the Bat had prepared for us.

M'gann greeted me with a bright smile of her own, floating into the room with Conner trailing behind her. I knew they were an item and had been for some time now, but I enjoyed making M'gann blush in annoyance and Conner growl in anger. And an angry Artemis was usually a bonus.

"Wally!" She called, rushing up to me.

But she stopped cold as soon as she saw the cast around my arm.

Damn. I had forgotten about that. Who forgets about a broken arm?

"What happened to you?" Conner grunted, already crossing his arms.

Robin knew the truth, and so did Roy and their respective guardians. I could have lied and told them a completely convoluted story, or I could tell them the half-truth I had fed the others.

"I went to a party, got into a fight, then fell down the stairs." I muttered with a shrug. "But I don't really want to talk about it."

They both seemed as if they were about to question me further, but Kaldur'Ahm walked in right at that moment and began to speak before they could.

"Wally, you are alright." He smiled, as if he had been expecting me to be completely hurt.

I wouldn't be surprised if Batman had told them the situation with me, actually, seeing how he was the leader of the team.

But I only shrugged and smiled slightly, "Yeah... I am."

Which was so far from the truth. I wasn't alright. I wasn't okay. But I chose to keep that hidden. Why? Sometimes the reasons I had come up with sounded like bullshit even to my ears.

The four of us stood there in silence, but the Zeta Machine announcing the arrival of the Big Bad Bat and Robin had us facing their way. The ninja boy jumped in with a smile and the Bat with a scowl, but they both seemed as if they were prepared for something.

"What are we doing today?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips to try and emulated easiness.

"Martian Manhunter and I have prepared a sort of practice simulation for you all. We will start as soon as Artemis arrives." The Bat grunted, then disappeared into the Mountain to do who knows what.

And I didn't really think much of what he had told us because it sounded like we'd be thrown into a type of realistic video game. So, instead of worrying about what the League had cooked up for us, I turned to Robin with a smile.

And cracked a joke.

I wish I had worried more.

I'm still not sure if I reacted so violently to Artemis' death in the simulation because my emotions needed some kind of outlet or because I actually cared about her deep in my soul, but I do know one thing for sure. It was a miracle I hadn't slipped up in the course of the damning and traumatizing simulation that was created for us to fail.

But, when I had stood there in the Mother Ship with Robin by my side, bros 'til the end, I couldn't help but feel like I should have told him _something_. We were about to die and never see each other again because everything was so _real_ but I had clammed up and only fist bumped him in the final seconds of our life.

That day had been the first day I actually felt myself grown angry with Batman.

And I had let him know it as I yelled at him for being stupid enough to do something so risky with someone as powerful as M'gann inside.

"Wallace. Come with me."

Those simple words. He had said them after my rant had ended and everyone stood off in shock, my Uncle Barry staring at me with wide eyes. But I knew what those words meant. He knew something. I just didn't know what.

With a glare sent his way, I followed him out of the room and towards the Mission Hub, where he turned to me with his cowl down.

He wasn't talking to me like Batman. He was talking as Bruce Wayne.

Just what was he playing at?

"Wally, what's wrong?"

Damn. The man knew something.

 **Please review.**


	14. Chapter 14

"Nothing."

I didn't want Bruce Wayne talking to me. Batman I could handle. Batman I could make jokes to and run away when he got pissed off. Batman was normal. Batman was scary enough to be calming. Batman was something I was used to.

Bruce Wayne, on the other hand, was a new variable I had never even taken into consideration. Bruce Wayne was the happy and philanthropic play boy that somehow managed to keep Wayne Corp above water, even with his crazy exploits. Bruce Wayne was human. He was not something I wanted to have to talk to.

"Nothing's wrong." I repeated, crossing my arms as I looked away from the blue eyed man.

I had no idea what to do. Bruce Wayne was Batman, to a certain extent. But he was also a man that could actually channel his feelings and listen to someone without seeming like something other than human.

Bruce sighed, crossed his arms, and gave me a pointed look, "You're lying to me."

I rolled my eyes and leaned against the wall behind me. "I don't have to tell anyone anything."

Right now I wasn't feeling up for any kind of 'heart to heart' talk, especially not with someone as dangerous as this man. Fortunately, though, the worry of having a younger sibling go through the abuse I had put up with had been pushed to the back of my mind because of the training exercise, but the simulation itself was now at the forefront, eating away at me with guilt.

There I was, about to die and unable to tell my best friend anything. If I couldn't have been honest at a dangerous moment in my life, how could I bring myself to admit to every little lie I had told? No, the repercussions for lying would be too great. Nobody could find out I had lied to all of them.

"What is going on with you, Wally?" Bruce asked, tone caring and worried. "You didn't hang out with Roy and Dick on Friday night and you went missing on Saturday. Then, when we find you on Monday, you're in a hospital because of a fight you got into."

I interrupted him there with a soft scoff, "Technically, it was because of my broken arm. The fight had nothing to do with it."

He quirked a black eyebrow at that, but didn't question my words and instead continued, "And now you're at the Cave. And you blew up at me. Batman. You would never have yelled before whatever has happened to you."

Shifting uncomfortably at his words because I knew they were true, I couldn't help but frown.

Lying to Ollie had been hard enough. He was smart and could catch on to whatever small tick I made as I tried to think up of a lie. Batman was basically the most fool proof lie detector I knew of and Bruce would use that to catch me in my lies.

I had no idea what to do. So I just stayed silent, arms crossed over my chest while looking at anywhere that was not the man before me.

That tactic worked for a good ten seconds before Bruce groaned softly and moved so he stood right in front of me.

"Wallace, you are an integral part of this team. And I cannot allow you to put your teammates in danger with these sudden and impulsive reactions. Oliver told me about Mexico."

My chest felt like it was being squeezed slowly by Conner's hands once more but all I could do was glare at Wayne as he continued to speak. It hurt to know that Ollie had gone behind my back and told Bruce about the tequila. But I knew my pain wasn't justified because I had lied right to the blonde's face.

"Alcohol is not some toy to be played around with, Wallace." Bruce's concerned but kind face had shifted slightly to seem of one with pure concern without trying to hide it behind niceness. "Then you go to a wild party where you were supposedly assaulted by three teenagers."

I looked straight into his eyes for a second, but looked away. They read of knowing. He knew of my lies. Or, at least, of some of the more obvious ones.

"But the thing about your story is that the assault angle doesn't add up."

After this Bruce turned and walked towards one of the many computers in the room, then began to type. I didn't dare run away now, even though I knew I could. Because if I ran, I would only be admitting to my guilt. And they would only catch up to me. I wasn't face enough to escape from my uncle's speeds.

"I've taken a look at the pictures of the many injuries you sustained on Sunday night. They're consistent with a beating, an assault, if you will." He spoke as pictures taken by the hospital squad appeared in holographic form in the middle of the room, all of them of the many marks I had sustained by my father's hands. "But they're all of the same size. Every hand print, every foot impression, even the teeth marks, they were all made by the same person."

Right then my eyes fell on the most horrifying picture there. Well, it was to me. The one of my father's bite mark, just below my collar bone. Mouth equaled saliva, saliva meant DNA... If the hospital had acquired even a small sample from the wound, they would be able to trace it back to my father because he was a known blood donor.

Dammit!

"You weren't assaulted by a group of teenagers, Wally. And I'm assuming that this didn't happen at the party, but at your house, because of how you were able to get Kate into your bedroom."

I tried to play off my distress by scoffing at the Bat, trying to keep a sarcastic demeanor. "I helped her even after the beating, Bats. You very well know how hardy we speedsters can be."

His face showed no emotions now.

"Wally, you broke your arm early in the morning. When you got to the hospital, the medics reported the wounds were at least five hours old. Which, in speedster terms, mean you had gotten them at _most_ , an hour before." He now growled, eyes narrowing in my direction. "All the evidence leads me to assume you were hurt by someone in your home."

Honestly, I really tried to keep my composure. I never wanted anyone to find out the truth about my life... My parents hurt me, sure. But who was to say that I didn't deserve the pain? Who could tell me my stupidity didn't warrant any punishment? I tried to keep a straight face and convincing calmness about me, but my traitorous brain made me think of my would be younger sibling, bloodied and bruised after my father's beating, and I suddenly found tears streaming in cascades down my cheeks.

Instantly Bruce's face softened and he proceeded to step towards me, but an illogical panic forced its way into my chest and I retreated violently from him, jerking as I took my steps back.

"No!... Please, stop!" The scream of utter terror pushed its way out of my mouth without my permission and before I could try and recover myself. That was when I started to breath rapidly, chest heaving to try and get oxygen into my lungs. "Stay away!"

It was happening again. My sudden and completely unfounded fear of a male adult. And I was reacting just the way I had with the Rogues a few days ago. Just what was happening to me?

"Wally?" He asked, blue eyes now reading of pure worry.

He must have thought I was hyperventilating or even having some type of breakdown. Those assumptions would have been not too far from the truth, but I didn't think of what he might felt because I was too scared at seeing my father's annoyed face overtaking Bruce's kind one.

"Please, stay away!" I begged, falling to my knees after my back had hit the wall behind me. "I beg you, please!" Then, with my back to the wall, I drew my knees up to my chest and wrapped my arms tightly around them. "No more! No more!"

Sobs wracked my body and I knew the Bat was trying to find a logical solution for my actions, but I was much too afraid of the man with my father's face to think in a rational manner and calm down. I didn't think of the fact that Bruce was not Rudy. I could only think of how angry Bruce would be at me for lying to him and how he would hurt me after... Just like my father and uncle!

Wait a minute... My uncle never hit me... Right?

I shook my head to try and clear my thoughts, maybe even extract truths that were jumbled up in my lies, but that did nothing. Every single thought that had ever crossed my mind now found itself in a mess inside my brain and I was not able to make anything clear.

Bruce didn't try to even touch me as I sobbed and rocked myself back and forth and he didn't try to get any more explanations from me, and I knew he knew something. Something I didn't want him to know. I just don't know what he had managed to get from my frazzled state.

Some time passed with us in those positions, me sobbing and he standing in silence, and my uncle entered with instant alarm flashing on his face.

"What did you do to my nephew, B?!" He yelled, immediately running to me.

And as soon as those large hands neared my shoulder, I yelled out and sped over to the other side of the room, curling up once more in a fetal position to try and protect myself from the beating I knew was going to come to me.

"I said I was sorry!" I sobbed, then began to cough as I choked on my own tears.

Uncle Barry looked at me through hurt and shocked eyes, then glared at Bruce, who had placed his Batman cowl back on his head.

"I heard that you had put the kids through something dangerous, Batman. What the hell did they go through to have my nephew run _away_ from me?"

Sob after sob escaped me and I was hiccuping violently as I tried my best to not choke and I couldn't help but think about how stupid I was. I had worked so hard to keep a happy facade only to have it all brought down because of some stupid training exercise? Just how stupid did I have to be to throw away so much of my own hard work?

My head was filled with so many thoughts- both of self hate and doubt in my own actions- that I actually brought my hands up to it and screamed to try and relieve some of the pain. This only caused my head to ring further and vibrate with even more pain but at least my attention was so taken by the physical pain that the tears began to slow.

I had allowed Batman to get to me so fast... I could have lied my way through that, right? But I instead chose to freak out and throw a fucking _bat_ into my own plans by breaking down emotionally in front of them! And then there was also the question of Ollie telling Bruce the Mexico thing and my _Rogues_ being the ones to have witnessed my first breakdown and... My breathing became faster as I began to think of this once more.

"Wally, you have to calm down." Bruce told me, but he sounded much nearer to me, as if he were only two or three feet away from me.

"Maybe it'll help if you open your eyes, Kid."

My uncle also sounded nearer, but...

Suddenly I felt two arms wrap around my shoulders and I was pulled into a broad chest, but immediately my survival skills kicked in and I began to push away from whoever was trying to grab me to hurt me.

"No! Please, I promise I'll be good!" I yelled out hoarsely, my throat now raw from so much screaming and sobbing.

"Wally, calm down!" My uncle yelled and his voice sounded distressed and shaken, so I guessed he was the one that was holding me.

I should have felt safe and comforted. My uncle was trying to calm me down. But I was so afraid at this point that I didn't even bother distinguishing fact from fiction.

"Wally, it's your Uncle Barry! Stop fighting me so much!" Uncle Barry yelled, his grip tightening around my body. "The training exercise is done! You're alive! _I'm alive! Your_ _aunt_ _is alive!_ " He emphasized and I stopped struggling immediately, my eyes opening wide and my body freezing in his hold.

Those words had caused my frantic fighting to stop. Why? I was more than aware that my uncle and aunt were safe... Could it be that that training exercise had affected me a lot more than I had initially thought?

Now I found myself looking up at my scared uncle's blue eyes, my frantic breathing having stopped as fast as my shaking. Uncle Barry's Flash cowl had been pulled back to reveal the very worried face of Barry Allen, a man that had just been worrying about his nephew's well being for the umpteenth time in less than two weeks.

Just why did I make my existence so hard on everyone else?

"S-sorry, Uncle Barry..." I mumbled, looking away and drawing my arms tighter around my body.

He only shook his head and kissed the top of my scalp, "Don't say sorry, kiddo. Don't you ever dare say sorry for what you're feeling."

Now I noticed that his strong legs were wrapped around my body, along with his arms, making a kind of cocoon around my body. After saying those words he only brought my head down on his chest, kissed my head once more, then laid his chin on top of my head. And we stayed there in that embrace for God knows how long... And I felt safe.

... ... Maybe... Just maybe... Uncle Barry wouldn't hurt me like I thought he would... Maybe... I could _stop_ running from him...

* * *

"What's up with Baywatch?' Artemis asked as soon as both Wally and Batman were out the door, immediately turning to her teammates with worried gray eyes.

They had all heard of the speedster's latest escapades but had hoped he'd calmed down and noticed how stupid he had been that week. And Robin had told them about his small escape from the Rogues with the yells and everything and all of them were completely surprised to hear Wally was even capable of yelling in anger. But just a few seconds ago, he had screamed at _Batman._ Something _must_ have been wrong.

"He's been acting odd lately." Robin answered, walking towards the blonde on shaky feet.

They had all been pretty affected by the training simulation, but Artemis was the one that had suffered the least. Which was why she was able to focus on the worrying speedster instead of being affected by the trauma the others were experiencing.

"You can say that again." Artemis nodded, looking after the doorway the two had left through. "He's acting weird, even for him."

Conner frowned at her slightly insulting words but didn't say much about it because he was much too busy hugging M'gann to try and defend his friends odd ways. Kaldur, though, spoke up and told Artemis to be wary of the way she addressed the issue with Wally.

"He has not been acting like himself, Artemis. That is true. But that does not give you any reason to try and insult him."

Kaldur had been in Atlantis with his king at the time of Wally's supposed disappearance. And he had been part of the search team that worked the whole day to try and find their wayward speedster. So he did not find it funny to have the blonde teenager making light of the daunting and confusing situation with one of his oldest friends.

"Geez, Kal, I was only pointing out the obvious. The sky is blue, the sun is yellow, and Wally is weird. These things are just-"

"Artemis, stop."

The blonde immediately shut up at the authoritarian voice her leader used.

"He screamed when you died. He worried about your soul. And you pay him back by insulting him in what could be his time of need?" Kaldur asked her, his own gray eyes shining of anger and annoyance.

He left after those words, but they had done their job. Artemis felt terrible for the way she had spoken of the resident red head. So she set off to find him.

To say she was shocked by the sight of both the Flash and Kid Flash hugging tightly while Batman stood off to one side in silence would be a pretty big understatement. But Artemis had enough a mind to walk back to the living room and try to talk with M'gann, all the while doing her best to forget ever having seen such a tender moment.

 **So sorry about not updating any sooner, my life just got really hectic with tests and quizzes and stuff I had to read. Just so you know, no Spitfire. I don't ship it. I don't like it. But they _will_ form a type of friendship here... I think. I'm not sure. Maybe not. Most probably not. I just wanted someone from the Team seeing the happy family together in a tender moment so it would be even more shocking when the truth came out!**

 **Anyways, again, sorry about not updating in forever. But, please, review!**


	15. Chapter 15

The weeks after my little episode proved to be rather peaceful. My father couldn't physically hurt me now that everyone was worried about my well being because he knew that any new mark could lead them directly to him. And he was also too preoccupied with preparation for my younger sibling to actually think about me. My mother was also too busy going around announcing her pregnancy to everyone around her.

Because of them being so occupied with ignoring me, my parents seemed to have actually forgotten about my punishment.

My Uncle, though, remembered it fully. Just like Ollie and Bruce.

Even though my parents basically let me do whatever I wanted now that they were acting as if I didn't exist, those three men insisted on me not breaking any of the 'set' rules- which weren't really, my parents had also forgotten to tell me the terms of my grounding- and I wasn't allowed to go out much when it came to the Team unless it was a mission.

Then it was only eleven days until I was finally sixteen.

My sixteenth year. I had no idea I would have managed to survive for so long. Honestly, I used to think that I would die by my father's hands before any super villain actually got the chance to go at me.

But there I was, laying on my bed and staring up at the roof, breathing in and out slowly as I tried my best to keep from thinking too deeply on my life.

Life had acquired a type of stability and peacefulness that I was very grateful for, but also rather wary about. Weeks had passed since the training simulation, missions had come and gone, and it seemed like what I had allowed the Bat to know meant absolutely nothing.

I knew for a fact the man must have been planning something. I just wasn't sure what.

Just then I heard my phone ringing, announcing a recently received text message.

~Walls. We need to talk. Meet me at the Old Park at twelve.~

The words were much too serious and courteous to have been sent from James, but I doubted anyone else would have even bothered to try and talk to me today. And the fact the Old Park had been mentioned was enough to let me know that it was in fact the rogue teenager that always seemed to have a reason to smile.

But I didn't want to talk to James. I had been avoiding him every single day he went to school by hanging around with Mike and Ike. And on the days he tried to talk to me in my home I would run off and hang out with Kate under the pretense that we were studying for yet another English assignment.

The Rogues knew too much. My breakdown with the Bat had been bad enough, but the one with the Rogues had been plain old incriminating. And the fact that they had caught me after drinking alcohol only added to my fear of what they could do to me and my family to get to the bottom of my odd words.

But I could also use the alcohol in my bloodstream as an advantage. The Rogues didn't know my full situation at home and they sure as hell didn't know what was going on in my mind. Maybe I could tell them the liquor in my system had affected me a lot more than they thought it had and had made me spew off that much nonsense.

So I took in a bit of breath, let out a shudder exhale, then began to type up my message.

~Sure thing. I'll see you then.~

I'm pretty sure James must have been shocked at the fact that I had answered him back and had not told him any type of conditions, but I had already made up my mind. I was tired of my life spiraling out of control.

For some sick, demented, depraved, and completely irrational reason, I still felt a tug of love when it came to my parents. I don't know if it was because of the fact that these were the people that had birthed _and_ raised me or because I secretly enjoyed the justified misery I found myself in, but I _did know_ that I didn't want to be taken from this family. And if anybody figured out that I was being abused, the call to the police was literally just a few button marks away.

Besides, I now had a little, unborn sibling to look after. And I couldn't just have him come into a new world with both his parents behind bars.

I spent the next two hours doing nothing, just trying to read the next chapter we were going to discuss in Chemistry, but I couldn't get past more than a sentence without beginning to wonder about the Rogues. So I gave up on that and left my room and went down to the living room, where I found my parents sitting with my aunt and uncle with them.

This surprised me, of course. Usually, when Aunt Iris and Uncle Barry came around I was the one given the task to entertain them while my parents gathered enough patience to deal with them.

With a quirked eyebrow I walked into the main area, which made me get a broad smile from my uncle as he stood up to hug me.

"Hey, bud! Did you already hear the great news?" He asked me, wrapping his arms tightly around my body.

I returned the hug halfheartedly but still nodded.

Of course my parents would be telling the rest of the family about the good news. They had always been the kind to announce any type of good news to the high heavens.

"Yeah, and I'm excited!" I lied, trying my best to smile right at my uncle.

His smile dropped slightly- only for a fraction of a millisecond- but I saw it and was immediately alerted as to something being wrong. Yet I didn't say anything and instead turned to my aunt and kissed her on the cheek.

"We're thinking of giving him a _normal_ name." My mom smiled broadly, palming at her stomach.

She hadn't begun to show yet, but I knew this was the kind of person she was. When she had something she knew got attention from everyone around her, she would milk it to the extreme. And carrying a child seemed almost like a status symbol among the women she hung around.

"Hey! My name's normal!" Both my father and I cried at the same time and for a second my chest stirred with a feeling of hope I thought I had squashed down years ago.

We seemed like a normal family. Not like the dysfunctional type where the cycle of abuse was rather quick and heated.

And just now I noticed how lucky I had been. Ever since I had broken my arm and been taken to the hospital because of my injuries my father had not touched me at all. And because they were so busy talking about the baby, my parents didn't insult me as much as they could. I guess they were so happy about their new bundle of hope that they forgot about the sack of disappointment I had proven to be.

Barry chuckled as my father and I smiled at each- mine much more hesitant than I cared to admit- while my aunt and my mother shook their heads.

"Rudy, you were named after a reindeer. And I guess Wally's real name is okay..." Aunt Iris dragged out, eyes shining of mischief.

I groaned in exasperation, trying to keep this thread of happiness going, all the while I made my way to sit down beside my aunt. "Why don't you pick on the one named like vomit?" I asked, pointing at my uncle.

He released a squawk of indignation, "My name does _not_ sound like barf!"

Then I stuck my tongue out him and crossed my arms. "If you think so, _Barf_ -olomew!"

The blonde shook his fist at me but we soon dissolved into fits of laughter. My aunt hugged me as she laughed and I couldn't help but look in the direction of my parents. They both seemed so happy.

Maybe this new brother or sister was actually a blessing. They both had mellowed out pretty well and hadn't hurt me. Maybe they finally saw the error of their ways and had decided to quietly change their ways.

Or maybe that was just hopeful thinking.

After we had finished our laughter, Uncle Barry had started talking about something or another that happened at the lab. Then my aunt told a funny story about something that had happened to her, which was followed by both my parents giving their own stories. Soon enough they had began to talk about adult stuff that only old people would care to know about and I found myself looking at all of them.

They all seemed so happy talking amongst each other, even if I didn't have any say in the conversation. Could it be that this was where I belonged? In the sidelines of what was happening, never uttering a word but also never inciting anyone's anger?

That seemed like a pretty good conclusion, but soon my phone buzzed to life and I looked down at the screen to find another text from James.

~It's eleven fifty five right now. Don't forget. Old Park.~

I rolled my eyes at this, even though I knew I needed that reminder because I would have stayed here just to hear to my family's laughter for a bit longer if it hadn't come, but stood up and announced my depart.

"James invited me to hang out. I'm going to meet with him in five minutes." I told my uncle after he had asked me why I was leaving so early.

Uncle Barry smiled at this, "That's good to hear. I was starting to worry you two had gotten into some fight."

I quirked an eyebrow at this because I didn't remember having told him about avoiding James, but he continued speaking before I had to even ask him about it.

"James seemed kind of at the bank robbery a few days ago, then there's the fact that he was quiet when he went to get me on..." He drifted off there, his face going from a smile to a slight frown.

I know what he meant. The day I had run away.

But I shook my head and smiled at my uncle. "Yeah, we're working on it. I _am_ allowed to leave, right?" I asked my parents only to have my dad wave me off.

"James is an old friend, Walls. Of course you can go!"

I nodded and began to walk to the front door but was stopped when my mom called after me. "Oh, honey!" I stopped right at the door but didn't turn around. My nerves were on high alert for some reason. "Could you pick up some milk when you come back? Ooh, and snickerdoodles too!"

Mutely I nodded and ran out of the door, then began to make my way towards the old park where I had first met Hartley and James.

* * *

Bruce frowned at the feed he got from the bugs he had planted all around the West household.

Wally had shown classic signs of familial abuse. Barry had told him that, yes, Wally's grades _had_ been slipping recently, but the kid was trying to work on it, and Bruce knew for a fact that sometimes Wally came into the mountain with injuries that didn't particularly make much sense. Then there was the fact that Wally's mood went from his usual hyperactive and glad self to suddenly screaming in rage in just seconds.

Being the detective he was, Bruce had found out that Wally had missed quite a few days of school because of supposed injuries, even though he didn't have any type of doctor's note, and knew for a fact that they weren't made while with the Team or on patrol with his uncle. And he also knew about the sudden change he had made in his group of friends, replacing the slightly troubled but still rather morally correct James Jesse and Hartley Rathaway with a rough group that thought drinking meant having a good time.

After some, he had managed to piece together Wally's current emotional state from careful and calculated talks with both M'gann and J'onn. The Martians didn't know he had spoken the way he had because he wanted to know just how harrowed Wally was and that was just the way the Bat wanted too keep it until he had further proof.

And, finally, there was the fall on Sunday night. He knew- both in his gut and in his right mind- that those injuries had been caused by one person who was presumably male. The pattern of hand imprints and fist sizes fit the same size hand and the marks made by feet were caused by someone with a rather large foot.

"What are you doing, B?" Richard asked as he came down the stairs of the Bat Cave, blue eyes scanning the screen in front of Bruce with worry and slight confusion.

Bruce glanced at his ward for a second before shaking his head and turning away from the computer. "Reviewing a case for a friend of mine. Child abuse." He said simply.

Dick nodded at this and began to listen in on the recording as Bruce got up and grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator they had installed down there.

"The voices have been tampered with." Dick noted and Bruce nodded at him.

 _They_ had _to be tampered,_ Bruce thought. _I couldn't just have Rudy and Mary's very discernible voices playing. Even if I was attentive and made sure you didn't come down here, on the off chance you caught me off guard, you'd blow my investigation out of proportions._

But the man didn't say anything like that. He only shrugged, "That was the best Vic could get. And he has enough cases to work on to try and clean this up."

This made the teenager raise a questioning eyebrow at the man, "Vic as in Vic Sage? Hub's a long way from Gotham, Bruce."

"I know." Bruce now smirked at Richard, "But the Batman doesn't have jurisdiction when it comes to saving an innocent."

Hub City, Central, Keystone, Metropolis, it didn't matter how far away any city was from Gotham. If the Batman could do something to save someone, he would do his damned best. And now he had a red head in Keystone to look after.

* * *

"Why are you with them?"

I was caught off guard by the question asked as soon as I had entered the small park, but couldn't say I was surprised to see James and Hartley waiting for me.

At least they had been decent enough to not have any other Rogue with them.

"With who?" I asked, crossing my arms as I took a few more steps to be closer to them, but not too close.

The park was a very small one nestled into the darkest parts of Keystone, a small testament to how good and how flourishing this sector had been once upon a time. The sun shone down on us but the large trees offered enough shade to keep us cool. James and Hartley both stood by the benches closest to their entrance of the park while I was by the center of the whole thing.

James' blue eyes narrowed and I knew he was serious and angered with me. For some reason I was annoyed by this.

"With Mike, Ike, and the rest of their goon crew."

I rolled my eyes at the insult, "They're my friends now. You know, after all you two have done has been leave me to the wolves whenever you felt like breaking the law."

Hartley frowned at my jab at them but James only smiled in a disgusted manner, "Don't give us the speech, Walls. Especially after you've broken enough laws yourself."

"I'm not here to give you any speech, James. I'm here because you asked me to be here at this hour."

Hartley now spoke up before James and I could end up in some type of verbal argument that escalated into a physical fight. "Wally, we want answers."

I didn't say anything, motioning for him to continue. And he did.

"You were drinking. Why?"

Rolling my eyes, I groaned dramatically, "Because I wanted to get piss drunk and forget about my horrible life!" I yelled out sarcastically, then shook my head, "I was feeling down. Mike and Ike offered to brighten my life up." Then I smiled. "They did."

They both remained silent after this and I hoped they weren't silently asking each other if they should call for backup. I really didn't feel like running away from my Rogues right now.

"Who are you?"

Antipathy rolled off James in waves and I couldn't help but wonder just what I had done that was so bad that had made this once bubbly blonde turn all of his hate towards me.

"I'm Wally West. Resident Kid Mouth."

The blonde only shook his head with a frown in place. "You're _not_ my Wally. I want _my_ Wally back."

Hartley nodded in agreement, "Our Wally didn't hang out with the popular kids that bully us. Our Wally wouldn't sock Rory in the face just for worrying. And our Wally _sure as hell_ wouldn't drink."

The air was thick as we stared each other down, then I scoffed and shook my head. "I _am_ Wally. I've just grown up."

With that I turned around, "Don't think the world's all slinkies and hypnotizing flute, guys. It's dark, evil, and not made for everyone."

And I left them at the old park and headed towards Mike's house. Mike was good. He was nice. He didn't ask too many questions.

I liked Mike.

James and Hartley could be ignored for now.

 **Please review.**


	16. Chapter 16

On the next Monday, I got back the results for the test we had taken on Friday, apparently the teacher had done his best to correct everything during the weekend, even if he had to end up ignoring his own personal life. I really wish he hadn't.

A huge red 'D' glared at me as it contrasted heavily against the white of the paper and I could only groan and smack my head against the desk because I knew that Mr. Wolfe would hold me after class to speak to me about my failing grades. He taught the English class and we had read Beowulf, but I apparently knew nothing about the man that had defeated Grendel.

"Mr. West, Ms. Huxley, and Ms. Jones, please stay in the classroom after the bell rings."

Kate and I exchanged looks, and I knew that we were both worried about what the teacher might have cooked up for us, but didn't say a single thing as the last girl to be called, Antonia Jones, only nodded at the teacher.

If I could be classified as the stereotypical science nerd in my high school and Kate was the head cheerleader, then Antonia Jones was the textbook stereotype for an Asian girl. She was only half Asian on her mother's side, and her father was black, but the girl was dark skinned with angled eyes and a stare as cold as Batman's own. I once had made the mistake of asking her a stupid question about I don't even remember what subject and she had chewed me out so thoroughly that I was legitimately afraid of her.

But... I hate to admit that Kate and her friends had opened my eyes up to the reality of the world; high school included. The world was shades of gray- and I really don't mean that dumb book, just so you know- not black and white. So maybe Antonia Jones was more than just books smarts and math equations.

Anyway, after I had finished my small mental moment, I noticed that the bell had rung and the rest of the students had busied themselves with filing out of the classroom while Mr. Wolfe looked at me with expectant blue-gray eyes.

Mr. Wolfe must have been the nicest English teacher I had ever met. Normally, teachers loved or hated me. There was no in between for Wallace Rudolph West. The science and math teachers all loved me, but the more liberal subject ones hated how rigid I was. Really, it wasn't my fault I wasn't artistic or couldn't understand the difference between a metaphor and a simile. But, still, no matter how terrible I was at the given subject, Mr. Wolfe always seemed like he wanted to believe that I was good student deep down that only needed a small push to get better grades.

"Wallace, Kate, come down here, please." Mr. Wolfe spoke up as soon as the last teen had left the classroom, who, funny enough, had been Mike.

He had looked at Kate with a slightly pained expression because he knew he wouldn't be able to see her for this lunch period, but hadn't make much of a fuss about it.

I sighed and got up from my chair then walked to the front of the classroom, where Mr. Wolfe and Antonia stood as they waited for us. Kate rushed up beside me, grabbed my hand, and squeezed it tightly. If I had gotten a 'D', she most probably had gotten an 'F' and was afraid of the scolding we would most probably receive from the teacher.

"I... Am thoroughly disappointed in you two." Mr. Wolfe sighed as he shook his head.

I looked down at the floor but kept my grip on Kate's hand. It was nice to have her there. It brought a soft type of warmth that made me feel a hint of safety.

"Wallace, I know you are a bright student. Your Chemistry and Pre-Calculus teachers both speak very highly of you so I know you have the intelligence to get through my class." He told me, then turned to Kate. "And you, Kate, had been doing so well until recently. You were the only student in my class to get an 'A' on the first writing assignment I gave. What happened?"

Neither of us spoke up after the man had finished speaking. I didn't dare because I knew I was in enough trouble as it was. I couldn't have my big mouth getting in the way once more. And, as for Kate's silence, I attributed it to the fact that she was so disappointed in herself that she didn't trust her own words.

Mr. Wolfe, though, continued to speak without having waited for our answer.

"I care about you both and cannot have you failing my English class. That is why I have entrusted you in the hands of my brightest student, Antonia. I'm sure you already know your Valedictorian."

Antonia shifted slightly as she was presented in such high esteem, but didn't say anything. Instead she only nodded at Kate and me and readjusted her glasses on her nose.

"You will be tutored every Wednesday and Thursday from today onwards." He informed us, and Kate seemed to finally have trusted her voice.

"But I have cheerleading practices on Wednesday! I can't miss them!"

Mr. Wolfe didn't even hesitate as he continued to speak, "Finals are coming up and the difference between a 70 and a 68 are minute. But it matters. If you both attend all the tutoring sessions and do the work, show you really care about your grade, I may think of giving you a low 'C' instead of a high 'D'."

His tone was final and he turned to the doorway to the classroom at that moment, "Now, if you will excuse me, we teachers are human as well and need supplements. I shall go eat now."

The man left with those words and I couldn't help but wonder just how much more British anyone could get, but those slightly humorous thoughts left me as soon as I remembered just why I was in the classroom during the lunch period.

So I turned to Antonia as I squeezed Kate's hand in what I hoped would be perceived as comfort. "So, when do we start?" I asked the smart girl.

She looked at me though calculating light brown eyes and her face didn't even seem to move a fraction of an inch as she spoke up, "After school, three o'clock sharp in this very classroom. Get here any later than that and I will immediately take it as you not wanting my help."

And then Antonia left after those sharp and almost emotionless words and I couldn't help but whistle as she left. Then, once Kate and I were alone, I tried my best to lighten the mood and try to make Kate smile.

"Hey, at least it's not Tuesdays too… Right?"

Kate only rolled her eyes at me, scoffed, and strutted out of the classroom.

As I looked after her, I raised my hand to scratch at my neck and shake my head. Man… Why did it seem like no matter what I did the people I cared about most just ended up abandoning me?

* * *

The studying session with Antonia hadn't been so bad, I can now happily say I finally understand the difference between a metaphor and a simile, but there was a feeling of dread at the pit of my stomach that I just could not shake off for some reason.

Maybe it was the fact that my birthday was coming up in a few days. Or maybe it was the fact that I had barely spoken to any of my friends in God knows how long. Or maybe it was the fact that Kate and Mike had invited me to yet another party, this time on my birthday.

I knew for a fact that my friends would want to do something for me, and my family most probably had something planned as well- not my parents, but Aunt Iris and Uncle Barry- but I couldn't just brush off Kate and Mike. They had been so kind to me in the past few days, and had barely asked any questions about my mental health. They had been the break I needed from all the drama the Team and the League and my parents brought to my life.

Now I was seated on one of the benches in the Golden Park in Keystone City as I just watched people pass me by. It was interesting, you know, to see people bustling around in their life.

Sometimes you become so wrapped up in your head that you forget that everyone out there is a flesh and blood human, just like you. We are all human, yet we treat each other so terribly. Why do forget we are all human? Why do we forget that, in a sense, we are all the same?

A woman with bright red hair ran past me with her mouth open, clearly panting as she tried to get to her destination as fast as possible, but what interested me was the fact that she was wearing a fancy suit of clothes, complete with high heels. Why would someone dressed so nicely be running so fast? What was her story.

And I came up with a story behind her rush right then and there.

Her name must have been something like Siobahn or Ashlynn; I just imagined it being very Irish sounding; and she was no older than thirty five years old. Maybe- if she _was_ Irish or of Irish descent- her parents had been first generation immigrants and had taught her the importance of hard work from a young age. She most probably had breezed through high school with athletic honors but college had become troubling when she found out she wasn't the most important person in the universe.

Now she must have been rushing to a job interview to try and salvage the pieces of her crumbling life.

I frowned at how dark my thoughts had turned, but couldn't help but feel a bit of comfort. Even though it was bad of me to think such sad things of others, it made me think that maybe my life wasn't as screwed up as some people would try to make it out to be. Thinking of the hardships others might have gone through made my life that much more bearable.

"Hey, Kiddo, what are you doing out here?"

I looked up as soon as I heard that voice and was surprised to find Clark Kent standing beside me.

"Mr. Kent?" I asked, eyes going wide. "What are you doing in Keystone?"

Clark Kent had always been a great friends of my uncle's. I knew him almost as well as I knew Bruce Wayne and Richard Grayson, but I was slightly annoyed with him because of the whole Conner thing. Still, I couldn't blow up at him in the middle of a park with dozens of people around us. I guess I had to be civil with him.

"Here for an interview with the Flash." He smile in a knowing way and I couldn't help but roll my eyes with amusement, then shook my head.

My uncle was a funny guy. He even made one of his best friends travel all the way to Keystone to get an authentic interview with the Flash to keep people from starting to wonder Clark Kent's intimate connection with the Flash.

"That sounds swell, Mr. Kent." I told him, then looked down at my phone to check the time.

It was barely twelve thirty in the afternoon, but already the sky was dark and seemed to tell of coming rain. People were already running for safety and I knew it was only a matter of time before I would have to leave the park to seek shelter from the coming rains.

"Well, kid. I have to go now. But be careful, you hear? Your family needs you."

Clark left the park as soon as he said that, but I couldn't help but feel worried and slightly daunted by those words.

For some reason, they felt... They felt like he was trying to tell me something.

 **Please review.**


	17. Chapter 17

The rain started up only about a minute or two after Clark had left me in the park. People scattered all around as they tried their best to save themselves from the downpour, but I didn't mind. I just stayed there, seated on that bench, while the rain fell all around me.

It's not that I was hollow. I just... I don't know. I just didn't feel like going anywhere. It was better to stay there, seated and doing nothing, rather than actually getting up to do something.

Maybe it was because it was easier to do nothing. Staying there, barely even moving, I could not cause anyone harm. I didn't bother anyone by just sitting there. I wasn't a nuisance.

My family hated me because I was a terrible human being and a loser. I knew this already. Maybe today I just didn't feel like lying to myself and trying to tell myself that they didn't hate me. Maybe it was because those English test grades had finally proven that I was a good for nothing deadbeat. I mean, if I really were smart, I would be able to get at least _one_ good grade, not these crappy 'D's and 'F's.

With a sigh I shook my head and got up from the bench. It was about time I returned home.

* * *

My life continued on in a rather normal fashion- if you could actually call my life anything _close_ to normal- until the day all adults vanished.

Halloween had been rather well spent. I went to that high school party M'gann had invited me to and I enjoyed the fact that there was an annoying little nerd actually trying to prank us. We, of course, pranked him back good and I could happily say that I actually spent that night well. After the party in Happy Harbor, though, I was invited to a last minute Halloween Bash with Mike, Ike, and Kate.

They called me up as soon as I had arrived back to the Mountain and I could see my fellow teammates looking at me with questioning eyes. I only smiled at them and asked, "Are we going to do anything now? And, if so, do I have to stay for it?"

M'gann looked at me with eyes that shown of worry and confusion, she clearly had wanted me to stay for a little while longer, but Conner shook his head. "I thought we were going to go to sleep now, actually."

They shared a look after Conner had spoken, and I could tell they were speaking telepathically, but I didn't care. I already knew they were a couple and it didn't bother me- I just liked to annoy them whenever I could- so it's not like them deciding to stay together was going to deter me in any way.

"Well, I'll be seeing you guys later. I'm leaving now."

I said goodbye to Artemis and Zatanna- who were just walking into the room- then sped my way over to Keystone. Once I got there I took off the stupid costume M'gann had insisted I wear and instead opted to wear good clothing for once. I took out my only nice pair of jeans, along with good dress shoes, and a dark button up shirt. I left the top button unbuttoned and rolled the sleeves up to my shoulder.

When I looked in the mirror, for once I actually liked what I saw.

Then, once I was finished, I walked out of my home without much of a second thought. My parents had left me home alone on Halloween because they had wanted to do something or another that I just didn't care about so I didn't have to worry about them randomly deciding to give me a hard time.

Looking down at my phone, I texted Kate: ~Where's the party at?~

I was walking at a rather normal pace, not speeding but not too slow, either, and I had to say, I was enjoying the sight of little kids running around trying to get as much candy as they could before doors to houses closed for another year.

~Just come to my place. Ike and Mike are driving.~

I smiled at the text and shook my head, but still made my way over to Kate's house.

The walk wasn't exaggeratedly long, nor was it too short. I twas just the right amount of distance for me to calm my roaring thoughts with assurances of a wild teenage party.

When I got to Kate's home I found her dressed as that hero from those Marvel comics we read, Miss Marvel, I think, while Mike was dressed as Captain Mar-Vel. I had always thought that name was kind of unoriginal, seeing how we had our own Captain Marvel, but... It's not like we could control the comic book industry now.

"I am Ike!" Ike suddenly appeared in the doorway after Mike and Kate had finished up with their greetings, and I couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm.

He was dressed as the character, Ike, from Fire Emblem, complete with the large sword and blue hair.

"I can see that!" I laughed at him, shaking my head.

When he looked at me, though, his smile dropped and he shook his own head.

"Wally, why are you not dressed? Is this _not_ Halloween?"

I quirked an eyebrow at the questions, but still shrugged. "I had been dressed as a wolf man, but it god kind of itchy. Why do you even bother? It's not like you have a costume for me to wear."

The smile the three gave me was enough to let me know that I had been wrong.

Before I knew it, I was being shoved into the bathroom by Mike with Ike already inside, all the while Kate handed them the costume they had prepared for me. Then Ike forced me to unbutton my shirt and put on the costume they had chosen.

I felt kind of awkward because of Ike being in the same bathroom as me while I changed clothing, but I didn't really have anything to be embarrassed about. I had a good body that looked athletic enough... Besides, Ike was a guy and I should not have felt too bothered. Still, light pink brushed my cheeks as his insistent and slightly annoying hands kept trying to help me put on the clothes.

"Aw, don't you two look adorable?" Kate asked as soon as we had both left the bathroom, Ike fixing up my bandanna.

The only good thing about my costume was that I didn't need anything to go on my head apart from the bandanna. The character they had insisted I dress up was a red head, like me.

"We are the best characters in Smash Bros!" Ike smiled broadly as he jumped from my left to my right, only to settle while hugging me from behind.

He was taller than me, so I wasn't too bothered by him because I didn't have to slouch to hold his weight. If anything, he had to slouch to hug me.

I only rolled my eyes at his proclamation, "Well, now that you have basically violated me, would you mind if I ask just when we are going to this party you invited me to?"

Kate only smiled broadly and motioned for us to follow her out the door. "We're going now, Walls. I mean, now that you're dressed in such awesome attire you just _have_ to be seen."

Once more I rolled my eyes, but I didn't protest as Mike and Ike shoved me forward. I jumped into Mike's jeep without much thought and Ike jumped in beside me. Then we were off.

* * *

"Conner, we should have told him we were going to do something! Wally needs a distraction! Robin already told us this." M'gann hissed at her boyfriend, having felt kind of annoyed with how crass he had been with Wally.

But the half-Kryptonian teen only shook his head and began to take off the bandages he had been wrapped around in.

"Megs, do you remember anything you've learned from your detective movies?" He asked her, which made her give him a confused look.

"What do you mean?"

Conner sighed but still walked towards her and grabbed her by both shoulders. "M'gann, Wally hasn't been acting like himself for the past few days, right? We've all seen it."

M'gann nodded, "I mean, yeah. Even Artemis seems to be worried. But nobody's doing anything about it."

"Exactly!" Conner growled softly then turned around as he clenched his fists and jaw. "Wally was the first person to accept me once I escaped CADMUS and he's tried to be there for me every step of the way. He's even given me his comic books because he knew I grew interested with _one_ of the stories."

"But, Conner, we know almost nothing about these Earth customs..." M'gann tried to calm Conner down, but he only shook his head.

"That may be true, M'gann, but I'm not about to let Wally continue whatever he's been doing! He has not acted right for quite some time and I'm tired of being kept in the dark about this whole thing. Batman, Green Arrow, Robin; they're all the same! They keep things from us because they think we're too stupid to understand!"

Now he turned to her with blazing blue eyes, "But even with how annoying Wally can be, I'm not going to stand around like an idiot while he continues hurting. He's in pain, M'gann! You've felt it as much as I have! You've felt it _even more_ than I have!"

M'gann flinched slightly at the reminder of how dark Wally's whole mental aura had been for the past few days, how she had felt so affected by them that she had hidden in her room until Wally was gone from the Mountain.

"Now I'm going to follow him to wherever he has gone. I don't know if today will lead me somewhere or nowhere, but it's a lot better than just standing around while waiting for these adults to tell us whatever is happening."

With his mind set, Conner sauntered over to the Zeta Machine and started it up. After a moment of hesitation in which she wondered if she should follow or stay, M'gann finally decided that her friend's mental health was more important than her own doubt and that she had to do everything in her power to help him.

When they reached Keystone City, they followed after Wally as quietly as they could. When he reached the house of whoever it might have belonged to, the teens began to walk away as if they were going trick or treating, and when the Jeep left the street, M'gann flew after with the mental connection with Conner already set.

 _"It seems like they're going to some kind of party."_ M'gann informed Conner as she looked at the group exit the Jeep and enter a two story house on the nice side of Keystone that was already bustling with a bunch of night life.

 _"Show me where you are, Megs. I'll be there as soon as I can. You just stay to the shadows and keep an eye on Wally until I get there."_ Conner told her and M'gann nodded.

She sent him an image of where they were and how she had gotten there, then went into stealth mode and flew into the house. She followed Wally as quietly and discreetly as she could, and she really tried to keep him in her sights, but the novelty of this teenage house party was too much and she soon found herself distracted by a cry of 'Tequila bombs!'.

She had heard of the Earth beverage known as tequila, and she knew that it was a rather alcoholic and dangerous drink, but still she was too interested in what those words could have meant to keep her eye on Wally.

Besides, he didn't seem like he was in any type of trouble. The red headed boy dressed as Roy from Fire Emblem was rather busy with a red cup filled with clear liquid and with a red headed girl flirting with him, but he didn't really look as if he were having a bad time.

So M'gann decided that it wouldn't hurt to check out just what this tequila bomb was before Conner arrived.

This was the wrong choice to make that would lead to some serious repercussions for Conner, M'gann, _and_ Wally.

 **So sorry for not updating in forever, inspiration's been dim. But Christmas is here along with its beautiful vacations and I'm hoping to finish this story before the school year starts up!**

 **Please review!**


	18. Chapter 18

Bruce Wayne, Oliver Queen, and Barry Allen all sat around the coffee table in Bruce's study, waiting for Alfred to finish serving their drinks. The three men had frowns on their faces because of the severity and sheer darkness of the themes they were discussing.

"Wally... He hasn't been acting like himself for the longest of time." Barry sighed with a shake of his head as Alfred finished serving his glass of water. "I know this, Bruce. But your... _Hypothesis_ is just that... An assortment of ideas pulled together to reach the conclusion you want others to believe."

Bruce's frown deepened at the blonde's clear denial, but he only waved Alfred to stop before he served him anything to drink. He wasn't thirsty at the moment. The butler nodded and straightened up, then walked out of the room, on his way to the kitchen. He would be arriving in a few minutes with some snacks for the men.

"Barry, you and I both know the effects of abuse on teenagers. In our line of work, we see it all the time." Bruce told him with a soft voice, as if hoping that his sensibility in saying those words would help protect the blonde from the utter harshness of what they meant.

Oliver straightened up with a nod, "Wally's basically thrown his cares to the wind and has started doing some pretty dangerous things. Apart from that, he has barely hung out with the Team or Dick and Roy and you told us yourself that he, James, and Hartley are barely getting together. Acquiring a new group of friends is one of the first signs of-"

Barry interrupted the archer before he could finish his sentence. "How dare you!?" He growled as he stood up from his chair so violently and with such speed that it toppled over. "You may be a detective, Bruce, but you have been proven wrong before. You are _not_ perfect. Wally isn't either. Don't expect him to act the same way he did when he was _ten_. Every human grows up and changes. Wally is no different."

Ollie and Bruce exchanged a knowing look at Barry's words, but the blonde wasn't done.

"You say you have no exact proof of verbal abuse, correct?" He asked Bruce, who nodded slowly. "Telling the kid he's being stupid and needs to get better grades is nowhere _near_ the level of abuse you would want me to believe my nephew has suffered."

The only black haired man in the room stood slowly, smoothing his tie as he did so. "Barry, you know as well as I do that there is a fine line between putting a kid in his place and _abusing_ him into it. Some of the word Rudy says are-"

"Rudy's a mechanic, Bruce. He's the rough type of person. Don't you think Mary, Iris, and I have tried to get him to stop swearing whenever something goes wrong? I know his words are harsh, but Wally has grown to be a pretty straight headed kid."

"That's where you're wrong, Barry. He may have been okay before, but something _must_ be incredibly wrong now. The parties, the drinking, the-"

Barry raised his hand to stop Ollie from speaking and the man stopped speaking and rising from his chair. Instead he just continued sitting in his chair as Bruce and Barry stayed standing.

"Roy." Barry stated simply and Oliver's eyes narrowed into threatening slits.

"What about Roy?" He asked through a clenched jaw, his understanding demeanor immediately turning into an almost threatening one.

He knew about Roy and his problems. He did _not_ need his best friend calling him out on it.

Barry could feel a tiny bit of guilt gnawing away at him for even having brought that situation up, but he couldn't back down now. Not when he had such a good trump card to stop his friends from judging his decisions.

"Roy was a wild teen. He still is. He went to parties, he drank alcohol, and he dated so many girls that I stopped keeping track after lucky girl number eighteen..." Now he glared directly at Ollie with a dark ferality in his eyes. "Did either of you stop to think that maybe my nephew got twisted in his raising because of the bad influence his best friend proved to be."

The seething blonde didn't even flinch as Bruce restrained Ollie. "You son of a bitch! I'm trying to help the kid out and you question _me!?_ You're the fucker that's ignoring his kid's pain!"

Bruce grunted as one of Ollie's flying elbows connected with his ribs, but only glared at the struggling blonde. "Fighting with Barry will get you nowhere, Ollie. Stop acting like such a petulant child."

Ollie was clearly ready to take out any of his many weapons and introduce an arrow into both men's knees, but Barry's phone ringing halted all movement in the room. Both Bruce and Ollie watched in curiosity- even though Ollie still glared at him- as Barry reached for his phone, looked at the screen, sighed with a shake of his head, then finally answered.

"Hello?"

Both men could hear the hysterical voice that came from the other line and Bruce noted with slight displeasure that Barry's frown only deepened as whoever spoke informed him of whatever had happened.

"I have to leave." Barry told them with a glare before he sped out of the room.

Both Bruce and Ollie just stood in the study for a while longer, then Ollie finally loosened up and fell back on his chair. "My money's on Wally."

Bruce very well knew that Wally must have been the only reason why Barry would have left so abruptly in the middle of such an important meeting.

* * *

The party was perfect. That red headed girl I had met at the first party was there dressed up as a sexy devil and I couldn't help but be immediately drawn towards her beautiful green eyes once more. We danced for quite some time but I nodded that she didn't even touch a drop of alcohol during the whole night. Maybe it was because of the wicked hangover I knew she must have had after that party.

We danced as close as two separate human bodies could get and I could tell that she was enjoying actually being sober to party. I smiled at the idea that she knew she could have this much fun without needing to be completely plastered.

I had drank about one cup full of whiskey and had a very nice buzz going when I heard a scream come from downstairs that reminded me of someone I knew. We had danced together for about ten minutes and were just going to go into a more... _Private_ environment when I swear I heard M'gann scream 'Tequila bombs all around!'.

I blinked in surprise and confusion as soon as I thought I had heard this, then another shout, this one akin to Conner's own voice, 'Drink or die, bitch!'.

The girl with the beautiful green eyes, whom I now knew was named Ashlynn- her father was Irish- looked at me in confusion but I only smiled at her, shook my head, and said, "I'm going to get a beer real quick. Want some?"

She gave me this 'are you serious?' look, but still sighed and nodded. "Sure. One won't hurt me... I'll, uh, be going into the room to _prepare_ myself." She told me in a low voice, then licked my earlobe which sent a shiver right down my spine. "Don't take too long. I want to see just how great you are with that sword of yours."

Ashlynn left me right then and there and made her way through the bodies on the floor, but still somehow managed to send me one final wink before she was completely enveloped by the dancers.

I stood there for a few seconds, feeling annoyed yet completely excited. Excited for obvious reasons. And annoyed because I now had to stall eager little Ashlynn until I was sure it wasn't Conner and M'gann inside the party. I mean, it was completely improbable that they would be at such a wild party- they, at least to me, seemed like the most prudish of the people I knew aside from Kaldur- but I still had to make sure because I did _not_ want to be the reason for them getting into trouble.

Still, even with how slim the chances of them being here were, I made my way towards the kitchen where I knew they were serving those tequila shots. And I completely regretted having checked as soon as I caught sight of Conner with one mug of beer in each hand while a girl with reddish brown hair, much like the form M'gann took when in human disguise, fed him shots of tequila.

And my eyes widened as soon as I got a clear glimpse of the girl's eyes because the shade of green they held were the exact same shade of M'gann's own. Without a doubt, they were the two teammates I had initially thought I would never see here.

"Shots, shots, shots-shots-shots, _shots_!" Sang the crowd around them and I could see Ike and Mike taking part of the this tequila shot contest with the aid of Kate for Mike and some girl I did not know for Ike.

"Oh... This is bad. This is very bad." I whispered to myself as soon as I saw Conner offer some beer to M'gann, who eagerly took it and chugged.

You know, it was amazing just how fast that Martian could drink that much beer. It was gone in basically no time. And once she was done, the girl whooped in joy and offered yet another shot to Conner.

I had no idea how they got here nor what they thought they were doing here, but I did know _one_ thing. If we were all found in this party in Keystone I was going to be blamed. And I really couldn't deal with yet another 'Uncle Barry pissed off with you' moment.

"Megs! Conner!" I called as I tried to push my way through the crowds even with how difficult the drunk teens were making it.

Conner, though, heard me and smiled my way, "And there's the man of the hour! Walls, get over here!"

Drunk Supey was funny. It was wrong of me to notice this, but he actually smiled now. And Megan clung to him as if they were actually an item and they didn't even seem like they were awkward with one another. It was funny that they only acted this carefree now that they had alcohol coursing through their system.

No! Bad Wally! They shouldn't be in Keystone! They shouldn't be at a wild teenage party! And they sure as heck shouldn't be drinking!

"Wally! You have to try this!" M'gann told me as she offered me a shot of tequila, "It tastes like heaven!"

The fact that she was speaking so rationally worried me. Her eyes were clouded over in a drunken way and she was acting much too boisterously to _not_ be drunk. Yet she could still enunciate perfectly and seemed like she was in complete control of herself.

Just what were a Martian and a Kryptonian's alcohol tolerances? I hope it was rather high for both races because I was pretty sure they had both had more than enough to drink.

"I don't think I should, Megs. Maybe I should get you two out of here..." I told them, shaking the back of my neck as I said this.

Ike suddenly appeared beside me and forced my mouth open, "Throw it in there, Meg baby!" He commanded and the Martian did as told.

The tequila went right into my mouth and Ike forced it shut before I could spit it out. Then his hazel eyes looked at me with sheer determination and I knew I wasn't going to be allowed to _not_ drink it. So I closed my eyes and swallowed, for once not enjoying the burn of the alcohol as it traveled down my throat. The sting of it was the perfect companion for the sting of guilt I was feeling.

"There we go!" Ike laughed loudly and I could feel the alcohol slowly staring to take its toll on me.

The whiskey I had drank before was now mixing with the tequila and both were rather potent liquors. If they forced anything else down my throat I'm pretty sure I would stop trying to make good decisions.

"Let's party!" Conner whooped as he wrapped his arm around M'gann's waist and kissed her on the lips passionately.

For once that announcement made me sick.

But Ike only wrapped his own arm around my shoulders and placed another shot on my lips. I looked at it with complete apprehension and worry, then looked up to find my two friends still kissing. They looked happy when drunk.

I sighed and drank up.

I knew I was already in trouble. No doubt would the Bat figure out where these two had gone from the Zeta logs. And I'm sure that it would only be a matter of time before he recruited Uncle Barry's help to find me. And, because he was just that good, I knew it would only be a few seconds before he found me here and had the CCPD inside this house, breaking up the party.

So, knowing that I was already in trouble for the party and for my friends becoming intoxicated, I decided that I might as well go down partying. As soon as I had finished this drink, I would go upstairs to Ashlynn and finish having my fun.

"Fuck consequences!" I yelled as soon as I had finished drinking, throwing my hands up.

"That's our Wally!" Shouted both M'gann and Conner, elliciting cheers from my other friends.

"See you losers later! I got someone important to do!"

Everyone around me yelled and cheered loudly at that proclamation, then I found myself running up the stairs of the house and towards the room I knew Ashlynn would be waiting for me.

She did not disappoint.

 **Please review.**


	19. Chapter 19

**So, I've got to warn you guys. This is chapter skyrockets the T-rating to an almost M. I'm not even sure if I should change the story to M because of this whole chapter. If you think I should, tell me. I will change it as soon as possible.**

Ashlynn's body was soft. Unblemished. And firm.

She told me that the reason as to why she was so perfectly built was because of a mixture of both genetics and overbearing parents that insisted she be on at least three different teams in her school. And, apparently, she went to Amelia Prep, an all girls' school that was nestled in the outskirts of Central, nearing Keystone.

Once I reached the room with my sly smile after having snagged two cups of beer from a couple that was all too drunk, I found her laying in the very middle of a rather large bed, her jacket thrown on top of the nearest chair. Her smile read loud and clear that she would be fulfilling quite a few unspoken promises tonight if she had any say in it.

"Got your beer, Ash." I informed her, smriking slyly as I made my way towards the bed.

"Awesome, Walls." She smiled back at me and threw her hair back, revealing the corset she had been wearing beneath her leather jacket.

She appeared to have planned for this outcome.

"Religious school my ass." I told her with my own smile, moving my left hand to wrap around her waist and pull her body towards my own.

She hummed in appreciation as she brought the drink to her lips and took a long and almost sensual sip, then moved her hand away from herself. It was as if she was making sure she wouldn't spill any on us. "Oh, Saint Amelia's may be religious, but most of the girls are even wilder than me." She whispered huskily, leaning her head to begin to suck on my neck.

"Oh, Ash." I murmured, then drank what was left of my beer to make sure that I wouldn't end up spilling it as our activities became more heated.

Her mouth worked the skin almost perfectly, licking and biting in the most sensual way at the most perfect moment. Her lips were soft on my skin and her soft breathing made goosebumps appear all over my body.

"You like that, ginger?" She asked in a breathy tone, her unoccupied hand moving from her side to leaning right beside my hip.

She was leaning over me now and she nuzzled my neck with her face for a second and I bit my lip to keep from moaning, then she finished up drinking her beer and smiled broadly at me.

"You ready for this, ginger?"

I smirked at her and, instead of nodding, just raised my right hand to her face and pulled it to my own. I bowed my head just a bit until our lips were a breaths width apart and I could hear her panting, clearly already aroused by what little we had done.

"I just hope you're ready for me." I whispered against her lips, then closed the gap and kissed her fully.

Like I had already stated, Ashlynn's lips were soft and amazingly plump, but they also tasted of a strange mix of alcohol and cinnamon. The kiss was at first soft, seeing how we were still getting accustomed to one another and trying to take it even a bit slow, but soon enough it became passionate and heated and I found her tongue stroking my lips to gain entrance into my mouth.

I didn't even hesitate as I opened it and began to wrestle with her tongue. As we kissed I moved my hand so it was resting on her hip and the other so it was on her shoulder. Then, once I was sure she was stable, I lifted her up slightly and sat her down on my lap.

Our kiss was interrupted at this and her eyes widened in shock, but when she looked down and found me smiling down at her, she could only growl playfully and jump on me so I was pinned onto the bed.

"Wallace West, you have just earned yourself a punishment." She rumbled beside my ear, then licked the shell of my ear before beginning to suck on it.

I didn't even try to hide the moan left my lips now as I moved my hands so I was cupping her ass. Just like the rest of her, it was firm, yet not tough. This girl just had all the right proportions. As I explored her body, Ashlynn moaned into my ear as she began to get rid of the annoying threads that were my upper clothes. Soon enough my chest was exposed to the world and she hummed in appreciation of my physique.

She moved her mouth to bit my lip and tug at it as I massaged her ass, then she moved her head so she was biting down harshly on my collarbone- right beside my father's own bite mark.

"Ah!" I bit out, opening my eyes in shock as I felt my pants suddenly becoming very tight.

Uncomfortably tight.

"Someone's excited." She breathed out once more then began to lick on the small wound she had given me.

"Of course I am." I told her, moving my hands up to trail over her body. "With such a hot beauty like yourself on my lap, I don't have any reason to worry about anything other than-"

Just as I was about to finish speaking, the door to the room burst open and the figure of a CCPD officer with his gun out and a glare on his face was the first thing I saw.

And, instead of freaking out or worrying about what might happen as Ashlynn froze over me, I could only groan in annoyance at the idea that I had gotten all hot and bothered but would not be getting anywhere because of this jerk. So I fell back onto the bed with another groan and ignored Ashlynn's squeal of shock as she jumped over me to grab at her jacket.

"Just perfect."

* * *

"Megan Morse! Conner Kent! Just what are you two doing in here!?"

The Martian only giggled as she hung from Conner's shoulders, smiling broadly with her eyes closed.

"Connie! I love you, do you know that?" She laughed loudly at that and Conner only wrapped his strong arms around her and brought her up to kiss her lips.

"Of course I do, babe."

Barry Allen could only look at them in shock and awe as the house behind him was raided by the CCPD.

As soon as he had heard Mary's frantic phone call, he had known that Wally must have gotten himself into some kind of trouble. He had been given permission to go with M'gann and Conner to the school Halloween Party by his parents as a type of test to see if he was ready to have his punishment lifted. Clearly, the boy needed to have more sense driven into him if he had done something so dangerous.

"Conner, Megan, come here." Barry told them, hoping the teens would understand that he was an adult they knew and not someone they should have seen as a threat.

Both teens looked at him for a second, as if it took them a while to focus on him, and Barry noticed just how many other teens were with them in the kitchen. That girl Wally hung around with, Kate, was hanging onto some blonde guy and another boy with hazel eyes was laughing boisterously at something or another that had happened only a millisecond ago.

Barry felt his blood boil at the idea of so many kids ruining their lives in this fashion.

It was a good thing he had called in the favor from his chief of police buddy to raid this party before anyone got seriously hurt. Like it seemed Megan and Conner were on their way of going with how close they were at the moment. It may have been the right thing to get here at the moment they did because Barry was sure bad decisions would be made by both parties if not.

"But we don't want to! I want to have another shot!" Megan stamped her foot on the ground and almost lost her footing, causing Conner to try and catch her before she fell over.

Unfortunately, they were both rather drunk and their balance was shot, so both were sent to the floor beneath. And Barry didn't even try to catch them in hopes that they might learn something from this experience.

They both groaned in slight pain- Barry wasn't sure why Conner had, he was pretty sure the half-Kryptonian wouldn't have felt the fall- and the drunken boy with the hazel eyes slovenly moved towards his fallen friends, actually concerned about them. And this bothered Barry because he knew for certain that this kid and the two aliens should never have met before. At least, if not for Wally.

"This kid will _not_ hear the end of this." Barry vowed, turning as he heard footsteps behind him.

"Barry, we found your missing kid. We have him upstairs with a girl." Jeremy, one of the officers assigned to this case, informed Barry.

"Is he still there?" Barry asked with a bit of chagrin in his voice, "He's known for running away. Especially when he's cornered."

"I have one of my men up there right now. There's no running away for him and the girl."

Barry nodded at the information and moved upstairs, deciding that he just didn't have the energy to deal with Wally _and_ two drunk alien teenagers. All around him he could find teenagers sitting on the floor, some puking, others helping them, and a few keeping their head down to not be seen by the police. He knew that these kids most probably hated them right now, but the surprise raid they had done had proven effective because almost no teenager managed to run away before the police had the place on lock down.

When he reached the room the officer had directed him towards, the blonde took in a big breath and opened the door.

Inside he found Wally laying down on the bed in the room with no shirt on and his hair a disheveled mess, even if he still had his bandanna on. The girl he was with hugged her leather jacket tightly to her body and was clearly worried, but Wally seemed to try and offer _a bit_ of comfort through the arm he had wrapped around her butt while his hand lay on her upper thigh.

"Wallace Rudolph West... Haven't I found myself having to scold you too many times in the past _month_?" Barry asked as he entered the room, only to see Wally breath out heavily, in almost boredom. "Just _what_ have you gotten yourself into?"

* * *

Just what did I get myself into?

As soon as the police officer had burst into our room I had begun to slowly feel my fear and anxiety rise. But I knew that I couldn't show that because I just couldn't allow my uncle to know that I felt bad for what I had done. I couldn't let him think I felt guilty, because that would give him a tiny bit of hope that I would end up well. That I would learn from my mistakes. And I just couldn't afford him to believe in me.

Instead of showing just how anxious I was feeling on the inside, I chose to sit Ashlynn down and kiss her shoulder in an almost calming way. I was annoyed that I couldn't get what I wanted tonight, but that didn't mean I had to be a jerk to her.

"Calm down." I whispered into her collarbone. "You barely have any alcohol on your breath. And I'll make sure you're the last one tested, it'll give the alcohol some time to leave your system."

At first she seemed as if she didn't believe me and moved to put on her jacket, maybe as a way to try and protect herself, but I then said, "My uncle's most probably the one that got us in this mess. I'll find a way to get at least you out."

Her wild red hair was pulled into a slightly tame ponytail as she sighed at my words, then she looked at me with worried green eyes. "Walls, my parents would kill me if they found out I was here. I'm supposed to be over at a friend's house."

I motioned for her to sit beside me and she did, then I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. "Just trust me, will you, Ash? I promise. I'll get you out of this."

She hesitated a bit but ultimately nodded and squeezed the hand that was over her shoulder. Once I was sure she had calmed down a bit- apparently so appeased by my words that she didn't even try to place her jacket back on- I laid down on the bed and closed my eyes as I moved my arm from around her shoulders to wrap around her ass. She didn't try and stop me, so I guess she trusted me a little bit.

"Listen, just... When my uncle gets here, play it cool. Don't do anything and don't speak. When he drags me out- because he will- you'll have a small window of opportunity to get out because the stationed officer will not be here with Barry inside. Once I'm out, you leave."

I wish I could have created a better plan for her, but there was nothing more I could do while we waited for my uncle. The police officer that was undoubtedly standing by the door would not allow anyone to leave until he had been given the all clear. And I knew it was only a matter of time before my uncle appeared to scold me.

And when he did, I could see the disappointment in his eyes. But I only lay on the bed, lazily stroking at Ashlynn's thigh as he glared down at me. It was better to come off as nonchalant rather than let him know I was freaking out on the inside.

This was going to be the straw that broke the camel's back. My uncle looked _furious_. And I found myself just a tiny bit annoyed by this. It's not like he cared. I really wished he would stop acting as if he did.

"What's up, Uncle B?" I asked him after a moment of silence had passed between us.

Ashlynn shifted beside me and looked at me with worry, but I only smiled broadly at her. I really hoped she understood what I was trying to do.

"Wally." He growled, jaw clenched in pure anger.

I had really done it this time.

"What are Megan and Conner doing down there? Drunk and lost?"

Damn it! I had forgotten about those two! What could I do? I could lie about them being here. I could say I had no idea they were here and that would warrant my uncle to give me a bit of leeway and put _some_ blame on those two... But... I had wanted to prove I was a hopeless case. And what better way to do that than to drag some of your friends down with you?

With a fake and extremely lecherous smile, I answered, "I led, they followed. As simple as that, B-Meister."

He physically tensed at the use of his nickname in such a sarcastic and patronizing tone and I could only chuckled softly as Ashlynn shifted once more. "Don't worry, babe." I told her while I sat up beside her. "Little goody two shoes over there won't hurt me. Not with witnesses around. Isn't that right, Mr. Forensic officer?"

I had never seen Uncle Barry so angry before. But I knew that I had to dig myself in deeper now. I had gone all this way, I couldn't just back out now because he looked slightly- or a lot- like Batman when faced with the worst of low lives.

"Say, Uncle B... Why don't you turn around and close that door?" I asked him almost innocently, only to smirk afterwards, "We were doing something rather important before you burst in like a bat out of hell."

That had been the last straw.

Uncle Barry walked deeper into the room and yanked me up by my arm, blue eyes so enraged that I almost flinched away from him. And when he pushed me out of the room I _did_ flinch, memories of my father's beatings surfacing on my mind.

"Of all the things you could have done, Wallace!" He growled as he pushed me out of the hallway we were in and towards the outside of the room. "I... You... We..." He was so angry he couldn't catch a single angry thought and turn it into speech before he thought of something else.

"Barry!" I whined, hoping that Ash would get the hint and try to leave the room before the police officer came after her. "You're hurting me!"

And I wasn't lying. The iron grip he had on my shoulder was enough to remind me of my father's own. I was afraid he'd beat me just like Rudy.

As he led me away from the house, I could see my friends sitting on the curb of the house, handcuffed with their heads down as police officers prepared the breathalyzer tests. For a moment guilt flashed on my face upon seeing Conner and M'gann looking so out of it, but I couldn't think on that for too long. I had to think of way to survive the scolding I would receive by my uncle.

I was the first to be tested for alcohol and .02 appeared on the test. Barry glared because he knew just how high my consumption of alcohol must have been if I had gotten such a measly number.

"I'm taking him home in place of his parents. And I'm also taking charge of Megan Morse and Conner Kent, their guardians sent me." Barry informed the sergeant that had led this whole raid, who nodded and frowned down at me.

"You're lucky your uncle cares enough about you to do this to you, son." He informed me, voice grave and disappointed. "This night could have ended much worse with this many teens under the influence."

I knew that was right, but I knew there was no way I could admit to that. So I only rolled my eyes and smirked at him, "Bite me."

"Wally!"

"Oh, get your move on, old man." I groaned, rolling my shoulders to try and get rid of the stiff feeling. "If you're going to punish me, get it over with already. I don't have all night."

Uncle Barry had never been so harsh in his movements as he was that night as he pushed me into the backseat of his car. After he had done that he went to collect both wayward teenagers and sat them on either side of me. They were pretty out of it so they stayed quiet most of the car ride, apart from the odd groan and moan of pain they uttered. And my uncle had never been so quiet as he was when he drove me past my home and towards Central.

"Shit..." I breathed out as soon as I noticed what this implied.

I was not going to be met with my parents theatrics in my home. I was going to have to face the anger of the League.

 **So, yeah. Should I bump the rating up to M?**

 **And, if you'd all be so kind, I have a poll up on my page and I'd love it if you could vote.**

 **Anyways, please review!**


	20. Chapter 20

When we reached my Uncle's house, M'gann was pretty close to just being passed out. Her head lolled from one side to another and Conner glanced at her every now and then in clear worry. But his own eyes were drooping even if he maintained his effort to stay awake until we arrived at our destination.

I didn't even bother to worry about those two. I was much too concerned with my own fate to even try and think of them. It was wrong of me, I knew, but it's not like I could save them without saving myself. Besides, this would be their first offense _ever._ If anything happened, I knew I was going to get blamed because they wound up following me into such a 'dangerous' place.

And that I don't get. Teenage parties with alcohol are kind of a necessity for the normal growth of a normal teenager that isn't a recluse. I'm pretty sure that _all_ of my family did something wild in their teenage years, so they really shouldn't be so hypocritical about this and just let me commit my own mistakes. Besides, it's not like I was piss drunk.

But both M'gann and Conner were.

I groaned at the small voice in the back of my head that told me I was even more of a worthless piece of shit for allowing my friends into such a dangerous environment, but I wasn't given much time to try and dispel it because my uncle opened the door beside me with narrowed blue eyes.

"Out."

He said this simply but in a tone that allowed me to know there was no escape anymore.

I still had an image to maintain, though, and I wasn't going to let him see that I was afraid for my life. So I only rolled my eyes and made my way out.

The cold bit at my exposed upper body and I kind of regretted not having dressed before Barry took me from that warm room with Ashlynn, but I tried my best to keep my careless persona about me and sauntered my way over to Barry's home. I didn't even offer to help with the two drunk teenagers stumbling out of the back of the car.

My aunt Iris came dashing out of the house with an air of worry and her surprised green eyes glanced at me with a mixture of a whole lot of different emotions before she turned to my uncle and helped him bring M'gann up. Inwardly, I cringed at the thought of my aunt so angry with me that she wouldn't even scold me the first time she got, but I only went up the stairs of the home and opened the door.

I really wish I hadn't. I really wish I had decided to run away the minute that police officer rammed into the room. And I really wish I had really been intoxicated so I would be drunk right now and not able to hear what was about to be said.

Bruce Wayne stood behind my uncle's large sofa, blue eyes icy and as hard as steel, while Richard Grayson sat in the sofa in front of him. Roy sat beside Dick and Kaldur was beside him. J'onn J'onnz and Oliver Queen were pacing and anxious, clearly worried after what my uncle undoubtedly told them. And, finally, my parents and Dinah Lance were seated around a small table my uncles had to the right of the family room.

As soon as they saw me enter all stood up with worry but I could only scoff and roll my eyes. As if they cared.

"Wallace!" My mom gasped, getting up from her chair to run towards me. "Where have you been?"

I closed my eyes and turned my nose up in disgust as she hugged me, but I still answered, "Oh, you know... Here, there, _everywhere_ , really."

This was clearly the wrong answer for she glared down at me and I could see her arm tense, prepared to slap me in front of family and friends. And, deep inside of me, I could only hope she would. Because that would be the last straw and I would tell everyone everything. I would not stand for her to humiliate me in front of all these people.

"Wallace Rudolph West, just _what_ has gotten into you?"

I craned my neck and found Oliver making his way towards us and I only smirked, "Oh, you know. The good stuff. The type _you_ use on a daily basis, Queen."

His advance halted at the clear accusation running off my tongue, but Roy suddenly shot up with a growl. He stomped his way towards me and grabbed me fiercely by the shoulders, shaking me violently. I groaned as I felt the small traces of alcohol in me being stimulated by such a thrashing, but Roy began to speak before I could ask him to stop.

"I'm sick of this! I'm tired of this _fucking act!_ I want to know what happened to happy go lucky Wally and I want to know _now_!" He almost yelled, still shaking me.

I growled at what he was doing and raised my hands to detach his from my shoulders. "Get off of me, ya prick!"

He stumbled backwards slightly because of how much force I used to get rid of him, but I only rolled my shoulders and neck, loosening some nice 'Pop's. I had been so tense lately that it seemed like my bones were always much too stiff.

"Now, how about, instead of you guys hounding on me like _idiots_ ," I hissed out, glaring at them, "You let me get some sleep so we can discuss this like mature adults."

The glares I received were enough to let me know that they didn't even find what I had just said amusing. Unfortunately, just when I had said this, Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris had managed to get the drunken teenagers inside and J'onn was immediately flying towards his niece.

"M'gann! What has happened to you?" He asked with wide eyes, taking the girl from my aunt's arms to hug her tightly to his self. "What have you done?"

Bruce stood up to help Barry with Conner, who was struggling to keep his eyes open. The boy stumbled his way towards the couch where Roy had previously been seated and plopped down in a rather unceremonious manner. Richard and Kaldur turned to him almost instantly with their mother henning ways and I could see my uncle's jaw tighten as he turned to me.

"Who do you think you are fooling Wallace?" He asked me, making his way towards me slowly.

But I didn't budge, I stood there with my feet planted and my arms crossed, looking at him with the most defiant look I could muster up.

"Tell me, boy." He growled, blue eyes flaming with anger. "Just _who_ are you fooling with all this acting up? Because this is _not_ the Wallace West I watched grow up before my very eyes."

"Oh! You're playing that card?" I bit out, almost exploding on him. "Just because you saw me grow up doesn't me you know me, Barry Allen! Get that through your fucking thick skull!"

I was on edge. My emotions were on high and my reasoning was cruising in the passenger seat as they took hold of my mouth. And the fact that Roy had been so harsh and annoying with me had not helped calm me down.

"I know my nephew, Wally!" Barry's tone increased as an answer to my own yells, "He's a funny, energetic, law abiding kid that gets good grades! This!," He cut himself off as he motioned to me, only to continue in a lower tone, "This is _not_ my nephew. This kid that runs away, gets himself in trouble in and out of school, and that ditches his good friends is not the Wally I know."

I was angry. Angry with my uncle and angry with myself. I found myself offended by his words, even though I knew they were true. I knew what was right and wrong, what made sense and didn't, but I believe I'd lost myself along the way of getting rid of my familial ties. I think I'd lost myself trying to find a new Wally.

Upon realizing this, my eyes widened and I turned around, not able to face the accusing face of my uncle.

If I really knew what was right and wrong, why did I allow myself to go this far? I could have gotten Ash pregnant with no protection! And then where would I be? Going down the same path my parents had taken... I would become my father... I would drink to get rid of the pain and...

I shook my head then to dispel those thoughts. I am _not_ my father.

"You speak as if you know me." I snarled, mouth turning up in a sneer. "You blab pure nonsense, _Barry_." I spit out his name, as if disgusted by just saying it. "Nobody knows _anybody._ You may think you know someone, but that is your righteous state of mind making you believe you are greater than anybody else." Then I turned around to them once more, glaring once more. "Those who believe they know others are just self righteous bastards."

Silence ensued. Everybody inside the room could only look at me with mixed feelings and I was sure that they were now wondering just what had happened to me to say such things.

".14."

I quirked an eyebrow after my uncle said this.

"And .16. Those were the blood alcohol levels your friends tested." Barry told me as he crossed his own arms over his chest. "If you do not care about yourself, care about your friends. Wally, this was their first time drinking."

I hated hearing that name. _Wally_. I am not Wally! Wally was a dumb kid that believed in hope and good things! I... I didn't... Not anymore.

"Barry, it was _just_ a party!" I yelled, exasperated. I was hoping to take the conversation in a a direction more teenager than it had previously been. "Okay, I'll give you drunk driving and alcohol poisoning are two pretty worrying things, but it's not like any of us is going to get in a car and start driving!"

Barry almost yelled out in exasperation, "That's not it! I mean, yeah, that's part of it, but don't you understand what has been going on? It's not only tonight, it's been this whole month, Wallace!"

Now my Aunt Iris appeared beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Calm down, Barry. Yelling at him will only get him angrier." She advised, then turned to me. "Wally, please, you too should calm down."

The anger in me was almost on overdrive. It was irrational and I knew that I was in the wrong, but it's like I just couldn't stop myself from being annoyed with them. Who were they to think of me? Who were they to think that they actually had a say in anything

Barry began again, with a more calmed tone of voice. "It's the drinking, the partying, the running away, and the lying. Do you have any idea how many nights your family and I have lost nights of sleep just thinking about you? Worrying about what the hell caused this huge change in you and just we have to do to get our Wally back?"

A sudden shock of bile rising in my throat and a clenching in my stomach let me know that I was feeling guilty. If I had known any better, I would have thought I would still have been angry with my uncle. But now all I could feel was bad for having allowed myself to go so far.

I had almost cost my friends their lives. What could I have possibly gained from that?

I lowered my eyes to the floor and I knew my whole demeanor was changed. Silence fell over all of us and I didn't have any words left to say.

My parents hurt me. But that didn't mean that I had to hurt my friends in return. Clearly my plans of cutting all ties was not going to work because I was much too thoughtful about others to knowingly force so much heartache on them.

"Wally," Dinah began softly after a few moments, "We understood you have been under much stress recently. And you had the option of coming to my therapy sessions to be able to let go of some of that stress." Now she stood from her seat and squared her shoulders. "These recent turn of events lead me to insist that you should be _forced_ to come to these sessions."

Even if most of the fight had left my body, I still felt a flash of opposition rise in me.

"I know my rights, Canary. I don't _have_ to go to any supposed mental health experts unless I _want_ to."

The blonde woman only shook her head, "Wrong. Psychologists have a duty to everyone, patients and could-be patients. And we can force someone to be treated when they become a danger to themselves, others, or are likely to cause harm to a place. Do I really have to explain under which of these you fall?" She asked in an almost cocky manner and I swear if I hadn't felt so defeated, I may have just been persuaded to punch her at high speed.

"Your first session will be tomorrow. Ten in the morning."

With those words she walked towards Ollie and Roy and forced them to leave my uncle's home. I hadn't noticed when we arrived, but they had come driving in Ollie's favored Mustang.

My jaw clenched and my fists tightened because I knew I had been defeated by the blonde and would now have to go to her pitiful therapy sessions, but people weren't done talking to me. Bruce Wayne now spoke up.

"Wally. Your actions could have caused a much worse outcome for your friends. But I spoke with your parents before you arrived with your parents and we all decided on a punishment. Your aunt gave a rather compelling case and it is because of her you will _not_ be kicked out of the Young Justice team."

I looked at my aunt now and she smiled softly at me. I had always seen her as strong and fiery tempered. But today must have been the first time I had ever seen her not speak her mind and actually keep her cool.

"But, you _will_ be place on strict probation until we have seen you get past whatever problem it is you are facing that caused you to act out. Your parents will be giving me regular reports on your behavior at school and your grades to see if you deserve to be reinstated as a full time member once more." After that, he turned to Dick with his always present frown. "Let's go, Dick. And help me and J'onn get Conner and M'gann out of here."

I turned around as they left and sat down at a chair that was placed the closest to a window and just stared out of it and the full moon.

Just how did my life get to this? Just how did I become the villain of my own story?

My parents hurt me and everyone loved them. I was hurt and disturbed by them and everyone hated me. How was this any fair?

"Wally. We have one more thing to tell you."

I looked up to find my mother looking down at me with the kindest eyed look she had ever given me in my life. I knew there must have been something horribly wrong.

"Mom..." I groaned softly, looking at her with as much hope as I could muster. "Can we just go home?"

She sighed, though, "That is exactly what I wanted to talk to you about, my son. I am pregnant and your father is barely ever at home to take care of you... We have found that the stress you have caused us is detrimental to our yet unborn child... This is why..." She choked on tears now but I could only sneer in anger. "We have decided your aunt and your uncle will be taking care of you until further notice."

Once more anger coursed through my veins and I swear I could just feel the biting remarks forming on my tongue, but I couldn't bring myself to fight. Not anymore. Not against the very woman that had abused me for so long.

"... Fine..."

I then turned away from her once more and looked at the window again.

I felt hollow once more. But somehow, I felt much more empty than I ever have.

"Just leave me alone, like you always have. I don't care that my parents are abandoning me. It's just how any normal teenager is supposed to grow. Without their mother and father present."

I could tell that the adults in the house were feeling uncomfortable at my hollow words, but I couldn't bring myself to even look at them anymore. First they hurt and corrupted me. Then they expect me to be a perfect child. And finally they leave me out to dry when I prove I'll never be good enough.

That was just perfect.

"You'll be transferring schools in December. You'll be enrolled in Central's school by January."

My aunt had tried to sound optimistic, but I... I just couldn't care.

"Great. Whatever. Where will I sleep tonight?"

"You can stay here, kiddo." Uncle Barry said as he walked towards me to place a hand on my shoulder. "And we can go pick your stuff up at your house tomorrow."

"Fine... Whatever."

 **Please review.**


	21. Chapter 21

The weekend after Halloween was quiet, at least it was for me. I barely spoke and I barely ate anything.

But I was still forced by my aunt and uncle to attend that session with Black Canary. Uncle Barry even escorted me all the way to the cave and only left me when he was sure that Kaldur was not going to let me run away. And as soon as my uncle had left me, Kaldur had led me to the area of the therapy sessions were he sat down beside me.

The only good thing that happened that day was the fact that Kaldur just sat there beside me in silence. He didn't ask for any type of explanation nor did he ask how I felt. He just let me remain in my self imposed silence.

"How are you feeling today, Wally?"

For the first time since last night I felt something other than sadness, and that was annoyance at Black Canary's seemingly patronizing tone. Her voice was soft and she most probably wanted it to come off as understanding and open, but I didn't care what it was supposed to sound like. All I know is that it annoyed the heck out of me and I couldn't wait to get the hell out of here.

"As good as I can be."

I threw myself onto the chair in front of her and crossed my arms over my chest, immediately looking at any thing that wasn't her. She tried to make eye contact with me, but I made sure she couldn't. I just kept glancing from one place to another until she sighed in exasperation.

"Wally, I'm here to help you. Is that really so hard to believe?"

At this, I looked at her for a second, glanced up and down her body, then rolled my eyes and turned my head away. I really didn't want to say anything and didn't feel like telling _her_ anything. Maybe if I had been taken to a professional, someone I felt like I could maybe trust, I would have actually spoken up. But I knew very well that Black Canary was just the front for Batman being able to evaluate our mental health.

And I didn't feel comfortable telling someone that was going to give my words away the whole story. Not even half of it.

The blonde breathed in for a second before exhaling lowly, then crossed her left leg over her right. "Wally... How about we begin with the basics? How are you feeling today?"

This question made me smirk at her. "Just absolutely amazing, Doc Canary."

The sarcasm rolling off my tongue made her look at me with a disapproving look, but she only shook it off. "Seriously, Wally. We're not going anywhere if you do not cooperate with me."

Now I scoffed, "And why would I cooperate with you?"

She kept her cool, though, even if I was being an absolute jerk.

"Because you are hurting, Wally. And the best way to start to get rid of those pent up, painful emotions is to talk about them to someone you trust."

"I don't trust you." I sighed, shaking my head. "And I don't know why you think I'm hurting. I'm not."

 _I'm not. I think._ At least that is what I tried to keep telling myself, even though I was showing my pain much more clearly than before. It's not that I wanted to. It was just too troublesome to actually try and do anything about it.

"Sure." She told me slowly as she nodded.

I only rolled my eyes at this and glanced up at the clock on the wall nearest me. I had only been in there for four minutes.

"Oh, just kill me now..." I groaned and slid a bit deeper into my chair, slouching to show her just how much I liked being there. And by that, I mean how little.

"I don't think your uncle would appreciate me doing that." She tried to joke with a smile tugging at her lips, but upon seeing that I would not react, she continued, "But. seriously, Wally. I only want you to talk to me. It doesn't even have to be about what you're feeling. You can tell me whatever you want."

She was at least trying, that I could give her. But I was no idiot. I knew that she was only going to use this false front of care to get me to open up about my life. And when she heard what she thought was best to support whatever theory she had, she'd run to the Bat and tell him everything. There was no such thing as confidentiality here. No matter how much they insisted there was.

"Oh, you just want me to run my mouth now?" I asked with a quirked eyebrow, then scoffed once more. "You spend most of your time begging me to shut up and when I finally get smart enough to keep quiet, you _want_ me to speak? You guys should really make up your minds."

Dinah Lance found no humor in my words. But I did.

All my life people have asked and begged me to keep my mug shut. And when I finally do, they get worried? Can't a guy face his inner demons in peace? Why do people feel like they have to but their noses into every little thing that has to do with a friend of theirs? Seriously, it was annoying.

"Wally, how about we begin with more simple things?" She asked, then hummed as if that would make me be nicer. "Are you looking forward to your sixteenth birthday?"

One more year of life. I was amazed I had made it this far. But I couldn't answer with that, so I only shrugged noncommittally, "It's just one year closer to death, Dinah. Is it really something worth celebrating?"

Her lips pursed at my answer, but the woman just would not give up, "But you'll finally be able to get your license. That's a big step for a teenager."

I rolled my eyes once more, "I can already get anywhere I want without one. I don't really think I'm going to take the test until my parents _force_ me to take it."

Having said the word 'parents' made my gut clench in a sickening manner. I don't know why, but now that I thought about what they had recently done to me, I couldn't help but feel despicable. Had I been such a bad kid that even my abusive parents decided to get rid of me even if it meant losing their ever present punching bag?

"Your speed. Tell me, Wally... Would you call it a gift or a curse?"

That would question made me freeze up at the very moment it left her lips.

I... Had never thought about that. I'd never given much thought to my super speed, other than to sometimes curse it because of the super fast metabolism. But to call it a gift or a curse was something that had just never occurred to me. Just what was it then? It had saved me from many situations, but it was because of it that I landed in many more. Had they really been a gift or were they as damning as my parents were?

I looked up once more at the clock and found that- oddly enough- the hour I was supposed to have been in there had already passed.

"See you, Canary."

I din't even stop to hear her tell me whatever it was she was trying to say before I sped out of the room and went back to Central.

* * *

On Sunday I didn't do anything. Usually, whenever I had previously been in Barry's home, I would have been elated to find my uncle and aunt caring for me, rather than my real parents. But now that I was confined to an emotionless and characterless guest room, I couldn't help but miss my own four white walls. They were cold and callous, but they were at least mine. These walls were not.

The bed that was now mine had soft and comfortable sheets and a thick comforter, which were much too luxurious for me. The sheets I was accustomed to were so hard they felt like they could break at any moment and the comforter wasn't warm at all. I felt like I was going to suffocate when I fell asleep the night ago.

And the walls were painted a type of egg shell cream that screamed neutrality and 'blah'. It was bland and boring and I just missed the dingy white that spoke of a real history from my room. Even though the walls were crusted and dirty, there was a reason for every stain in my room. This room was much too... Not filled with life for me to feel comfortable in it.

Luckily for my bad mood, my uncle was called to the lab because of an unexpected murder that needed to be solved as quickly and quietly as possible- an important person's daughter, or lover, or mistress, or whatever- and my aunt was called away to find as much information as she could on the very victim. This left me alone in their home to do whatever I wanted.

Before, I might have whined at being left alone. But now I rejoiced in the silence I was afforded. It gave me time to think. And it gave me time to calm my roaring thoughts.

There were so many things now... Everything was changing... And I was no exception to that change. I was maturing, but I was also becoming much more bitter. It was as if I just couldn't bring myself to actually care about the situation I found myself in. I know my parents hurt me and I know that was supposed to make me want to call the police, but I just didn't find it in myself to want to do that.

They hurt me and I didn't care. Wasn't I just the best type of person in this world? I may have just been a masochist.

I felt so down during the whole day that I barely even ate. But, to keep my aunt and uncle from finding out that I hadn't eaten almost anything, I took the food I would have eaten on a normal day and ran to a known stray dog area, where I laid it all down on the floor and waited for the ailing dogs to eat it. At first they were cautious, but soon enough their hunger beat their fear and they were chowing down like no tomorrow.

I felt saddened upon seeing so many animals malnourished and hurt, especially when one of the pups, a small thing that looked like a Pit Bull mix, maybe with Rottweiler from the coloring on it, made its way towards me with an injured leg. I knelt down as it approached me, and spoke as softly as I could, "What you doing here, little buddy? Shouldn't you be eating with the rest of your friends?"

It whined slightly and rubbed its head against my leg and I could feel my heart softening at its cute gesture. So I looked from one side to another and when I was sure no one was looking, I grabbed him and ran back to my home.

"You'll be my little secret now, okay? I'll protect you like I couldn't save myself and you will _never_ feel any more pain."

It barked animatedly and tried to jump, but whined in pain when its bad leg buckled beneath it. "We have to get that fixed..." I hummed in thought, then snapped my fingers together. "Puppy, we're going to Alaska for a vet. No one ever asks anything in Alaska!"

* * *

"Bruce, I'm worried."

Bruce looked up from his work on his desk, only to find Barry Allen standing by the door with his arms crossed and shoulders tensed. The black haired man was surprised to find his friend in his office in Wayne Tech, but he didn't question it.

"I mean, we managed to get Wally out of the house you said was hurting him, but he hasn't improved at all." Barry sighed, passing a hand through his hair as he sat down on the chair in front of the younger man's desk. "I don't think we were right in doing this, Bruce. He just sits at home all day and does nothing. He only stares out the window."

Bruce sighed softly and put the papers he had been looking at down. "Barry, I never said this would be easy. But the first step into making sure that Wally's parents really did abuse him was to get him out of the house and see if his behavior changed. He is safe in your home and has no reason to fear. It will take some time, but I assure you Wally will come back to us."

Barry could only shake his head, "I'm still not believing the whole abusive parents thing, Bruce. They cared so much about their son it absolutely broke Mary to leave him at my house. Rudy tells me she was crying all the way home. And Iris let me know that they both feel that the house is too quiet now that Wally isn't there."

With a hum of thought, Bruce shook his head. "I cannot say I understand everything completely, Barry. But the evidence from the hospital-"

"Could have meant Wally lied to us and got beaten by one drunkard and was too ashamed to tell us." Barry interrupted, then shook his own head. "Most of your evidence is either circumstantial or incomplete, Bruce. If only Wally had allowed the doctors to take a sample from that bite mark we would know definitely who hurt Wally that night."

The younger man stood up from his desk and made his way towards Barry and placed his hand on the blonde's shoulder, "I know this is tough, Barry, but... You don't get a diamond unless you apply a ton of pressure on coal. Maybe Wally just needs this pressure to be able to tell us the truth."

Barry could only glare at the man, "And if that piece of coal doesn't become a diamond, it cracks under the pressure... Bruce, I don't want my nephew to crack."

Bruce didn't tell Barry that he already thought Wally had.

 **Please review.**


	22. Chapter 22

"I think you're gonna need a name." I told the pup in my hands as we walked through the threshold of the veterinarian clinic to find the cold and desolate wilderness known as Alaska.

The veterinarian had been nice enough to not ask many questions other than the routine ones- how old is the dog, is it male or female, yadda, yadda, yadda- and they had put the dog's leg in a cast that would help heal the sprained limb. The injury wasn't too serious and I would only have to come back in three weeks for the cast to come off, which is something I was glad for. At least I wouldn't have to run back and forth from Alaska to keep my new dog completely healthy.

The small animal made a sound that seemed like a cross between a bark and a yelp and I chuckled at him. I only took it as his way of saying, 'yeah, I totally need a name' and tucked him into the backpack I had brought him in. "Okay, I'll think of a name for you in just a moment. Let's just get back home before my uncle notices I left."

With that I ran back to Central with the backpack in my arms, my hands holding onto it in a way that ensured the dog would not get buffeted by the strong winds that I whipped up around us. The bright day Sunday had started off as had taken a turn for the darker and rain clouds rolled over the sky with threats of lightning and thunder. I could hear the dog whining at the rumbling that came with the impeding storm but I only did my best to shush him before I ran into my new... home, I guess.

"Wallace, where have you been?"

I sighed as soon as I heard the accusatory tone behind Uncle Barry's words, but only shook my head. I didn't feel up for fighting right now. I just wanted to maybe eat something small and then go to sleep with my new puppy right beside me.

"I was saving an orphanage from a fire." I bit out sarcastically, walking towards the kitchen.

This had been the wrong answer, though, and my uncle's heavy hand fell onto my shoulder. Instinctively I flinched away from the imposing hand and instantly regretted it upon seeing the worried look my uncle gave me. Still, he didn't say anything about it and instead began to scold me for being such a smart ass.

"Wally, you cannot continue running away whenever you feel like it. You've gotten into so much trouble because of just that but you instead on keeping up with your old habits? Have you not learned from the past few days?" He asked me with pain in his blue eyes but I only shrugged his hand off my shoulder.

"I just went out for a run. No drinking. No partying. No nothing, okay?" I asked him and immediately went into the kitchen.

He followed after me but didn't say anything, and I guess he just opted to look at me. Scrutinize me. Analyze me.

I didn't mind. It's not like he would figure anything out. If he had yet to put the pieces together and actually find out that I was being abused by my parents, then he sure as heck wouldn't figure it out now. Not when I was going to be given a chance to rest from the constant abuse I suffered at the hands of my parents.

"What's in the bag?"

I had been rummaging through the refrigerator when he asked that. And I should have known the question was going to be asked, he most probably thought he would find me with drugs or alcohol or something stupid like that because he was just that predictable. But I really didn't feel like fighting anymore. Not him and not anyone else. So I opened the top flap of the backpack and allowed the puppy's head to peek through.

"I have yet to decide on a name for him, but I was thinking of something tough like Viper or Outlaw. I mean, he's a Rottweiler-Pit Bull mix so he's gonna be a pretty mean looking dog." I commented offhandedly as I picked the dog up from the bag and placed him down on the floor. "He should have a name that would let people know he shouldn't be messed with... Whiskey and Apache don't sound too bad either... What do you think, Uncle B?"

I was trying my best to stay as calm as I possibly could and act as nonchalant as I could make myself act. If I defied him, he would only be hard pressed to separate me from the puppy. But if I acted like excited Wally around him and showed him that I had a glimmer of hope in me, then maybe he would actually let me keep the dog without fighting me too much.

"Uh..." He muttered, mouth agape as he looked down at the pup that began to bark 'menacingly' at him.

Really, the puppy only seemed to be yapping, but he was already showing promise of wanting to protect me at all costs. That _is_ what Pit Bulls are known for, after all. Loyalty and courage.

"I don't think your Aunt Iris would enjoy having a dog named Whiskey around the house. You know she only really likes those odd, fruity drinks of hers." He said almost dumbly, "I like Apache and Outlaw."

With a smile I turned back to the fridge and took out some ham and cheese to make myself a sandwich.

"I know, right? Those two are actually pretty cool names. I guess I'll just flip a coin between them and see which one wins." I gave him the toothiest smile I could muster and looked down at the puppy, who jumped up at my leg at the sight of the food. "What do you think would be a better name for you, puppy? Outlaw?" I growled out in a husky tone, which made him cock his head in confusion at me. "Or Apache?" I spoke in an imitation accent, which made him cock his head to the other side.

I chuckled at him and leaned down to ruffle the top of his head, then looked at Barry with what I hope was a glimmer in my eyes, "Do you think I can keep him, Uncle B? I'll walk him, and feed him, and potty train him! Just don't make me have to take him back to the streets. I can't just drop him after having picked him up and promised him to keep him away from the homeless life."

I know my uncle was caught off guard by me asking for permission, but I knew that I had to appeal to his normally 'in control' way of thinking. If he thought I was asking for permission and if he thought I would be actually hurt to lose the pup, then he would be inclined to let me keep him. Especially after all the rough times I had made him go through.

This pup was, in essence, the new hope for me. He was the promise that I could get better.

And that's exactly what I wanted Uncle Barry to subconsciously think.

"I'm going to have to talk with your aunt," He started off slowly, but smiled warmly at me, "But I don't think she'd mind having extra protection in the home."

I cheered at his words and even jumped at him to hug him tightly, then scooped the puppy up and hugged him close to my chest. "Hear that, boy? You have a new home!"

Uncle Barry chuckled at my enthusiasm and the dog barked in what I assumed was happiness, and for once my smile wasn't fake. But I wasn't smiling because I had been allowed to keep the dog- I would have found a way to have him even if Uncle B refused- in fact, I was smiling because my plan had worked.

Now Uncle Barry would undoubtedly think I was going to get onto the road of recovery. And I think that this assumption would not have been too far off this time around. I was freed of my parents and had nothing to fear anymore. As long as nobody uncovered anything else, I would be able to continue living my life without anyone ever finding out about the abuse I suffered and actually live it without much fear.

It was the best of both worlds.

* * *

On Monday I had to face heart ache I had not prepared for.

In the excitement that was me adopting the small puppy, I had completely forgotten about having to move schools once the new semester came up and that this would be my last month going to school with my friends. This small bit of forgotten information hit me like a Mac truck on Monday morning when Kate ran to me with worried blue eyes while Mike and Ike trailed behind her.

"Wally! We were so worried!" She gasped as she hugged me tightly, her blonde hair cascading down my back as she nuzzled my neck. "The police came out of nowhere and you were taken away to quickly we had no idea what to do!"

I sighed softly as I shook my head, "I don't mean to be mean or anything, Kate, but you guys were a bit too drunk to have done anything."

She looked at me with unimpressed eyes, but I only smiled softly at her and turned to both guys behind her. "How bad did you all get it?"

"Bad." Ike breathed out, raising his hand to scratch at the back of his neck. "My parents were so pissed they threatened with letting the cops throw me into their holding cell for the night." He sighed, shaking his head, "The cops had to explain to them that they couldn't do it because I was a minor in custody of my parents and that because this was my first offense, I had been given a small pardon."

" _We_ were all given small pardons." Mike grunted, and that was when I finally noticed that I had been extremely lucky with the whole party situation.

My uncle could have easily thrown me into the slammer with all his connections. Instead he had scolded me the old fashioned way. I had a sneaking suspicion that Mike, Ike, and the other kids at the party had gotten pardons because of my uncle and their good behavior.

"But my parents are threatening with moving me to an all girls school if I keep giving them so much trouble!" Huffed Kate, crossing her arms.

And it was when she had said this that I remembered my harsh reality. These would be my last few weeks in the same school as these guys, because come winter break, I would be going to school in Central.

Apparently, my face had fallen and I had allowed my sadness to show at these thoughts because Mike looked at me with worried eyes, "Wally? Something wrong?"

I had wanted to lie to them and tell them that everything was fine. But that would not be fair. Neither to me, nor to them.

"Yeah. Something is." I breathed out, shaking my head, "Kate, you were threatened with that... But my parents decided that threats weren't good enough. Actions speak louder than words, after all."

All three of them were quiet for a while before Ike spoke up, "I don't follow, Walls. Did they threaten to move you from schools too?"

I shook my head, though, "If only it had been that, Ike. You're looking at a last minute enrollment for the second semester at Central City's public high school. My parents kicked me out of the house and shoved me at my aunt and uncle, who were more than glad to take me away from my friends and home here in Keystone to force me to go to Central."

"Wally..." Kate sighed, shaking her head, "No..."

"I'm sorry, guys. I had _such_ a good time with you guys, though-"

"Don't." Mike stopped me, making me wonder just what he was about to say. Mike was a teen of few words, after all, and when he spoke, it usually came from the heart. "You're not gone yet and you haven't died. Don't speak as if you're leaving tomorrow."

"Yeah, Mike's right. Just because you won't be here come next semester doesn't mean you have to just stop being our friend." Ike agreed, hazel eyes shining with determination.

I was lucky to have such good friends. "The reason they're moving me is because they think you guys are bad influences. They don't want me to hang out with you anymore... I'm sorry."

Ike just hugged me to him and shook his head, "You can move to Central, Metropolis, or _Gotham_ ; for all I care; and you'd still be my friend! You moving doesn't mean you have to stop hanging with us and I'll be damned to give up such a dorky friend without a fight!"

Kate nodded in agreement and joined the hug, "We've been friends since first grade, Walls! I'm not giving that up just because your family doesn't like us!"

It was nice to have such good friends. I could feel the tears brimming but I couldn't stop them from flowing.

"I'm sorry, you guys. If I hadn't been so obvious about the parties-" Once more Mike cut me off, though.

"Shut up, Wally. And just accept the hug."

So I did.

 **Please review.**


	23. Chapter 23

Slowly, I found myself becoming just a tad bit hopeful. Even though I was stuck having to move all the way to Central from my home in Keystone and leaving all of my good friends because of just that, I had something deep inside of me that told me that there was reason to hope.

Apache was the name I had decided to give my new dog and he seemed to be the perfect fit for the name. I had decided to look up the definition for the word before naming him it- seeing how I was aware that Apache was also the name of a population of Native American Indians- and had learned that this word also meant a Parisian gangster, rowdy, or ruffian. And this dog sure was rowdy.

After my uncle had convinced my aunt to let me keep him two days after I had brought him home, even though Aunt Iris was none too thrilled at the prospect of ending up being the person to take care of the animal, the dog had been _smart enough_ to dive into our trash and rip up the bag while throwing all of the trash around the whole space of the kitchen.

This had happened at night and none of us had been aware of what had happened until we arrived at the kitchen the next morning, tired and none too thrilled about having to wake up to begin our work days.

Needless to say, my aunt was furious and had threatened with kicking Apache out. But, instead of doing that, she had ordered my uncle and I to clean the whole mess up and keep Apache in the garage until we were sure he could control himself around the house.

Unfortunately, keeping him in there was _not_ the right thing to do. He whined, yelped, and barked so much that Uncle Barry actually got a call from his neighbor, Mary Reid, who told him to stop abusing of whatever animal we had in the garage before she called the cops. He, of course, explained the whole situation with the puppy out and somehow managed to convince her that we were not, in fact, abusing of an animal. After that, we had entered the garage to try and calm the pup down, only to find that he had turned _everything_ upside down and inside out and had even managed to bite through my old baseball bat.

Uncle Barry and I had looked at my dog in exasperation as Apache only sat with his tail wagging and his eyes shining as bright as the sun. He clearly knew what he had done and seemed happy with his own handiwork.

It took Uncle Barry and I fifteen whole minutes to convince my aunt to _not_ kick the dog out of the house, and a further thirty to convince her that the dog could be trained and taught how to be taught how to be a good animal. Apparently, back when she had been a kid, my aunt had faced a small traumatic experience with a dog and had sense never wanted to own one in her life.

We had been lucky enough that Aunt Iris was actually a kind person at heart and didn't have much malice in her heart, because if she hadn't, Apache would have been kicked to the curb the very minute we had found the garage in such a disarray.

"What are you doing for your birthday, Walls?"

I looked up as soon as I heard the question from my aunt, just like Apache did.

At the moment we had been seated at the kitchen table, Apache and I. I was seated on one chair with a bowl of cereal in front of me and Apache was propped up on the chair beside me with a few boxes beneath him so his head could reach his bowl of food on the table.

When I had first seated Apache on the seat beside me, Aunt Iris had almost convulsed. She went on about how dogs weren't clean and how they had no spot on the kitchen table, nor did their plates, but I had simply told her that if she didn't let me eat beside Apache I would run away. Her angry rant had cut off immediately at the threat, even though I had not meant it, and she had allowed Apache to stay beside me.

That's when I noticed that my aunt and uncle still thought I was a danger to myself. I had thought I had said the supposed threat with a jokeful tone, but she had immediately silenced herself and allowed what I had asked.

It had irritated me so much I was thinking of just leaving and not going to school that day. But then I had come to my senses, calmed down, and had finished going to school to hang out with my friends.

Since that day I had taken to sit Apache right beside me every single morning at breakfast, even though I didn't let him sit with me during lunch or dinner. Which was why when my aunt suddenly appeared out of nowhere with that random question, we had both reacted in such a manner.

"I..." I started slowly and almost dumbly. I was surprised she was even willing to hear about plans for my birthday because of how harsh my current punishment was. "Didn't think I would be allowed to do anything, Aunt I." I told her honestly, "I thought I was still grounded."

"Oh, believe me, Wally, you still are." She spoke with a type of harshness in her eyes, and I couldn't hep but think that she looked just like one of those killer business women you'd see on the television. She had her hair up in a bun and she wore a brown and black lined skirt with a white blouse, which were paired with a black jacket/vest thing and black pumps. The clothes she wore made her seem even less likely to take any shit than she usually looked. "But your uncle and I thought it would be a good idea to let you have some fun on your birthday."

Suddenly my uncle sped into the room with a dramatic gust of wind whipping up behind him, which made Apache whine as his bowl of food moved with my uncle's speed. The poor dog seemed to not be too fazed by our unnatural speed, even though he hated it whenever we sped in beside him because it usually meant he was thrust forward in a way he did not like.

"In the few days you've been with us, you've done nothing but go to school, come home, and repeat." My uncle said as he rubbed at Apache's head, earning a reluctant growl from him before my uncle moved the plate of food back where it had been before. Once he had done so, Apache seemed to smile and began to happily munch on his food, allowing Uncle B to continue petting him without reluctance.

"We have a funny dog, have you noticed that, Iris?" Uncle B asked her, only to receive an eye roll, then he turned to me once more. "Anyways, kiddo, you know that your aunt and I have always trusted in you, right? We always knew you were a good kid and we'll stand behind you every step of your journey. And after we spoke with your parents a bit more, we decided that your small 'rebellious stage'," He said in between air quotations, crooking his fingers to emphasize his point, "Was just that. A stage you got past."

My aunt now walked up to Uncle B and wrapped her arms around his waist, "We're still not gonna let you run around like a loose cannon like you did before this whole month, but we've decided that you've always been a good kid and we can't keep you locked up like some common criminal under house arrest."

Uncle B looked at Aunt Iris with pure love in his eyes as he craned his neck to look at her, and it hurt slightly to see so much love right in front of me. It's not because I was jealous of their love, no, not at all, but because... I had yet to feel that type of love. Familial or non-platonic, _no one_ had looked at me like that and I had never had the chance to love someone that much. I know I was young, but it hurt after having lived with such distant parents for so long that I had yet to know real love.

"So, as a test run-" My uncle started, only to be cut off by my aunt.

"Which will be your _last_ run, young man. We've given you more than enough chances and this will be the last opportunity we give you to prove to us you have not become a trouble making hooligan that needs to be looked after at all times."

Uncle Barry looked at my aunt with a quirked eyebrow, but continued softly, already knowing I understood just how serious they both were. "As I was saying, as a test run, we're going to let you bring your friends into this house for a controlled birthday party. Because your Aunt and I both have our jobs to attend that day, we're going to be leaving you under the watchful eyes of Ollie."

At this I quirked an eyebrow. "You're leaving me with Ollie?"

They both looked at me with faces that read 'You dare question me?', but Aunt Iris spoke up before Uncle Barry could come up with some snippy answer. "You'll only be allowed to invite your teammates and Red Arrow. We do _not_ want those troublesome Keystone kids in our home."

Her words hit me much harder than they should have, but I cannot say I was surprised by the toned down animosity. They thought the reason I had changed so much in October was because of those friends they had met while I got in trouble. And while it hurt me that they didn't like them, I knew that they at least couldn't control me while I was in school. At least, not until after Winter break.

"Roy, your teammates, and James and Hartley have all already been invited to come and they've all accepted." Uncle B informed me.

I nodded softly at that, but did a double take when I noticed the last two names he had said. "James and Hartley? Uncle B, I don't want to spend a d-"

"They have been your friends since _first_ grade, Wally." Aunt Iris cut me off, green eyes narrowing as she noticed my distaste. "And you cannot just sever your friendships in such a crude and _hurtful_ manner. You gave up two good friends for a crowd that doesn't even care about you but I will not stand around and watch you throw such a good thing away."

Uncle Barry hummed in agreement, placing his large hand over my aunt's own.

For some reason, I suddenly saw a flash of a hand as large as his own come down at me with so much force I was knocked out of the chair, and my breath hitched and my body froze, but soon enough I remembered I was in a safe place and my uncle would never hurt me like that. At least... I don't think he ever would...

Apparently, neither of them noticed my sudden shock of fear because I tuned in to Uncle Barry talking as if nothing had even happened.

"-happy the Team is allowed to come. Besides, Roy _asked_ to come over. Do you have any idea how rare it is for that kid to agree to anything that has to do with you and the Team?"

I felt uncomfortable now. My body felt as heavy as lead and my mouth felt as if I had cotton inside of it. That's when I allowed my spoon to fall back into he bowl of cereal- one I had barely eaten half of- and I stopped eating as they looked down at me. I smiled slightly uncomfortably, then looked at Apache, who was looking at me with worry in his light brown eyes.

"Yeah... Roy's a tough one..." I mumbled, then whistled, "Come on, boy. I wanna make sure you have all the food you're gonna need for today before I leave." I told him, getting off of my chair to lower Apache.

He barked at that and his tail began to wag, then I walked out of the kitchen and headed towards my room with Apache jumping at my heels. He had been staying in my room for the past few days, seeing how he actually behaved when around me even though he didn't listen to Uncle Barry or Aunt Iris at all. I guess Apache only listened to me because he deemed worthy enough to be his owner.

I didn't want to meet up with James and Hartley. It would open up too many fresh wounds that were only beginning to heal. I had decided to burn the bridge to them because they knew too much for me to keep sane around them. Hartley had seen my breakdown and James knew of my alcoholic tryst that had yet to be revealed to my family.

"I can't face them..." I sighed softly, sitting down on the edge of my bed with a clenching sensation suddenly enveloping my chest. "They are... I am... I just can't."

Suddenly, the small progress I had made in the past few days seemed so insignificant that I didn't even care about how happy I had been up until only a few minutes ago. They thought they knew what was best for me, Aunt Iris and Uncle Barry, yet they unwittingly caused me so much pain... They forced friendships I didn't want on me and made me sever the real ties I had created that I cared about.

Do they even care about me?

* * *

"Did you see that?" Iris asked as soon as they were both sure that Wally was away from hearing range, "His mood did a complete 180!"

"I know, Iris." Sighed Barry, shaking his head, "I thought he would be happy to hear his favorite 'uncle' would be chaperoning instead of one of us."

The blonde man sat down in the chair in front of him and placed his head in his hands, distraught about what he should do now. "We've tried everything, Iris! We're even offering him a birthday party with his friends! Yet it seems that the more we try, the further away he gets."

Iris breathed out as she rubbed Barry's shoulders, offering them both comfort in that manner, "Getting the dog was the right move, Barry, don't doubt it."

"I wasn't-" Barry tried, but Iris only gave him an 'I know you better than you seem to know yourself' look that cut him off. "Fine. I didn't want the dog at first. But I honestly thought it would help him get better."

"And Apache _has_ helped him." Iris told him as she sat down beside him, grabbing his hand to comfort her husband further, "He's talking with us and eating full meals. Today was the first time I've seen him _not_ finish eating something ever since we got the dog."

Barry leaned back into the chair, even though he looked down at his and his wife's conjoined hands and rubbed at her wedding band with his own. "I just... I'm at a loss, Iris. We try our best, yet he-"

"Is a teenager and human, Barry." Iris told him softly, "That age is not known for how easy it is to go through and Wally is just grasping at straws when it comes to his life and his feelings. We just have to be there for him and offer him all the support we can. He'll come to us when he's ready, Barry. You just have to have faith in your nephew."

Barry smiled at her and continued fingering the ring on her finger, but closed his eyes and rubbed at his face with his free hand.

"I just think I have _too much_ faith in him, Iris."

The red haired woman chuckled softly at this and got up from her chair, but stopped to kiss his cheek. "There's no such thing, Barry. Not when it comes to family. Now get ready and finish getting dressed." She said, clapping him on the shoulder while signalling his white t-shirt. "You still have to 'drive' Wally over to Keystone and get back here before it's time for your shift."

The blonde man smiled slightly at her, shook his head, and got up as well, "Have more _faith_ in me, Iris. I can take him there and get back to Central before the Chief even walks in."

"Wanna bet?" Asked Iris as she turned to him one last time before grabbing her purse and leaving the house.

Once she was out of the house, Barry scratched at the back of his head and shook his head once more, "When I actually think about it, not really..."

Then he sped up to his room to finish getting ready so he would be able to take Wally to Keystone.

 **Please review.**


	24. Chapter 24

My birthday came too soon. Luckily for me, though, it fell on a Saturday, which meant I didn't have to face my real friends and be forced to witness their kindness as I lied to them about being grounded for my birthday. Well, at least, not again. Yesterday Kate had asked me if I was going to do something and even offered to break me out of my uncle's house so we could actually do something. But I had told her it wouldn't have been a good idea to get my family even angrier at me because I knew that was exactly what would happen.

Kate had frowned at me and had even gotten Mike to try and convince me that we should have done _something_ for my birthday, while we were still together, and I was still not living completely in Central City, but I did promise them we would do something once my punishment had been lifted.

Now I was munching on some peanut butter cookies with Apache seated beside me and the dog was licking his nose of the peanut butter I had lathered onto it a few minutes ago. We were both seated on the couch of my aunt and uncle's house at 12 in the afternoon, and my aunt and uncle were both busy setting up the rest of the first floor in the house for the party we were going to throw.

Streamers were strung all around the ceiling and there was a happy birthday banner hung up to the doorway of the kitchen. There was a table by the far left side of the family room that had a bowl of punch on it with a whole lot of different assorted snacks all around it and beneath all of that there was a bright red table cover. The sofa I sat on had been pushed to the far back of the living room to allow us more floor space and Uncle Barry and I had moved the TV and its stand so it wasn't a bother to the space we had created.

"Wally, are you decent?" Aunt Iris asked as she made her way down the stairs, dressed for her work already.

I looked down at myself and took in the black band tee Kate had insisted I take yesterday even after I rejected her birthday proposal and the slightly too dark jeans with a rip at my left knee. I wasn't wearing the clothes on a whim, mind you. It was my silent way of protesting against my real friends not being allowed to come because I knew just how much my aunt hated dark clothes that reminded her of 'punk no-goods'.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, my aunt pursed her lips at the sight of Apache and I on her sofa, but I wasn't sure if it was because of the dog, my clothes, or a mixture of both. Still, she was mindful enough of my attitude to not voice out any of her disdain and instead made her way to fix the plastic table cloth.

"Ollie will be arriving in a minute," She informed me as she straightened the thin plastic and fixed up the cups on the table. "And he say he'll be bringing Artemis and Roy with him."

A frown made its way onto my face at the thought of both fiery archers being the first to arrive- even _if_ Ollie is the on they would be coming with- but I managed to turn that frown into a smile when my aunt turned to look at me.

"You _are_ happy with this birthday, right?"

Her eyes shinned of worry and hope. She had _wanted_ to make me happy with this birthday party because she was worried about my well being. I had put all my family and friends through hell and they still cared enough about me to throw me a birthday party and actually hang out with me for a day.

It hurt me to know I had hurt my friends with my actions and worried my family for so long, so I plastered a fake smile on my face and lied, "Of course I am, Aunt I! It's cool to know you guys are slowly regaining your trust in me!"

My upbeat words made my aunt smile at me and I could see some of the stress fade away from her frame. It was a shame that she actually believed such a blatant lie from me, but at least I would be able to take advantage of her kindness and trust.

"That's good, Wally. That's really good."

Her smile was completely authentic and I could see the trust shining deep inside of her eyes. It hurt to see it.

After she had stared at me for a few seconds, my aunt turned away from looking at me and Apache and I was able to allow my fake smile to drop. Apache looked at me for a moment, cocked his head, and whined softly, but I only pet him behind the ear and whispered into it, "I'll be fine, Apache. All you have to do is not bite anyone, okay?"

The dog looked at me in such a way that I began to wonder if he actually was able to understand everything I said, but before I could say anything else, the doorbell rang, announcing the first guests to arrive.

"Wally, could you get it?" Aunt Iris called from the kitchen and I groaned, but got up from the couch.

Apache jumped after me and padded softly as he followed me all the way towards the door. I smiled down at him, feeling completely grateful at having such an amazing dog, then opened the door with a smile on my face.

"Wally!" Ollie cheered as soon as he saw me, and in a flash I found myself enveloped by the big lug as he chuckled happily.

Apache barked in happiness as he jumped up and down on Ollie's leg, then went to sniff at Roy's and Artemis' legs. "Ollie!" I greeted, hugging the man back tightly.

"Oh, kid, you cannot believe the type of traffic we hit to get here." He told me to begin a conversation, all the while he thrusted a gift into my hands.

I looked down at the brightly wrapped box with a quirked eyebrow, but looked up as Roy awkwardly hugged me with one arm. "Hey, kid." He mumbled, all the while giving me a small rectangular box.

I smiled at him and nodded, knowing how Roy wasn't one for conversation, then asked Ollie, "Just how did you guys hit traffic if you were _walking_ all the way here from the Zeta Station?"

Artemis rolled her eyes and explained, "Ollie decided he wanted to get some donuts for breakfast before we came here, so we had to go to the nearest donut shut he knew. And there we got caught up in this huge line of people that were waiting for their own donuts." She came up to me and hugged me, and finished by handing me a birthday bag. "Happy birthday, Walls." She said softly then entered my home.

I was left dumbstruck for a moment at just how happy the three that had entered had been, but Apache yapping happily after the archers quickly snapped me out of my shocked state and I smiled broadly while I turned around to them. They were giving me a chance. I might as well repay the favor and not act like a petulant teenager when they were clearly trying.

The three archers made themselves comfortable in my home soon enough and less than a minute later I found myself seated between Ollie and Artemis as Roy began to set up the video game system so we could play Smash Bros.

"So, tell me, Walls, how have your aunt and uncle been treating you?" Ollie asked with a smile as Apache jumped onto his lap and began to lick at his hand, clearly asking to be pet.

I stuttered for a moment, wondering how to answer the question, then sighed and smiled softly, "It's fun being around Aunt Iris and Uncle Barry, really, but..." I shook my head then and shrugged once more, "It's kind of hard to know you're not good enough for your own parents."

Ollie became silent upon hearing my words, and I could tell Artemis wanted to tell me something, but was interrupted by the doorbell ringing once more. I immediately stood up and took the chance to get away from them, forcing a smile onto my face as I prepared to face whoever else had arrived to the party. When I opened the door, I was shocked to actually find M'gann, Conner, and Zatanna all standing there.

I had thought M'gann and Conner would never want to see me again after what had happened at the party. They had all the reason to hate me, after all. Both of them could have died at the party because of alcohol poisoning, or done some rather questionable things if Uncle Barry and the police had not arrived when they did. After the party, I thought they would hate me so passionately that I would end up getting kicked out of the Team just to keep them on.

Yet, somehow, for some reason completely beyond me, they both now stood in front of me with M'gann smiling softly and Conner's face missing its distinct frown, all the while they both hold a medium sized box. Zatanna was standing to Conner's right, a few feet between them, and she had a book in her hands with a red ribbon taped to the front.

The shock I received from just seeing Conner and M'gann there was enough to keep me quiet. It was a good thing M'gann had enough reason to speak up then because I don't think I would have been able to say anything at the time.

"Happy birthday, Wally." She started off slowly, then smiled as warmly as she could, "Please, don't hate yourself."

She didn't got into any further explanation because she knew she didn't need to. She knew I knew what she had meant and she only smiled nicely at me. And Conner smiled softly at me.

Their admitting they didn't hate me hit me hard. Tears sprung to life in my eyes and before I knew it I was hugging both of of them tightly, smiling broadly. "I'm so sorry, guys! I am _so_ sorry!"

"Oh, Wally." M'gann whispered, bringing her hand up to stroke at my hair. "Please don't beat yourself up over this... Conner and I both lacked judgement. You did nothing wrong..." She stuttered for a moment, then amended, "Well, you did a few things wrong. But what happened with Conner and I was strictly our fault. Right, Con?"

He only grunted as an answer, but I knew that he meant yes.

For some reason, knowing they didn't hate me made me extremely happy. My chest, which had felt hollow and cold for most of the time since my parents abandoned me in my aunt and uncle's home, now felt warmed with a type of heat that I had felt a long time ago. Before my parents began beating me. Before I lost most of my innocence. It was a glow that I wished would stay there.

Wiping at my eyes, I let got of Conner and M'gann and smiled. It wasn't fake. Not like with Ollie and the two teenage archers. Just why was I so happy right now?

"Thank you for coming." I managed to say as I recomposed myself and M'gann smiled.

"Thank you for having us."

With this she handed me the box and I motioned both of them to walk inside my home. When they had, I turned to Zatanna, who had been standing awkwardly to the side, and apologized.

"Sorry for getting so emotional. But thank you for coming."

Her pale cheeks brightened slightly with pink upon noticing her face had allowed me to read how awkward she felt. But she only shook her head and thrust the book into my hand.

"Robin told me that even though you weren't too big on reading, you might like this. It was one of my dad's favorite books, oddly enough, but... You know." She mumbled, shrugging softly and slowly.

I felt my heart clench in pain at her recent loss, then looked down at the book she had given me. It was bound in very aged leather and the grooves running up the spine spoke of years of being read and re-read countless time. The back had no writing on it at all but once I took the ribbon off of the front, I could see the title in black and engraved letters, _'The Science of Understanding Magic'._

I quirked an eyebrow at the odd gift, but still smiled softly, "Thank you Zatanna. It's amazing." Then I moved towards her and wrapped her up in my arms. "And I know that you feel hurt right now about your father, but remember you always have the Team with you. There's no need to feel alone, not now and not ever."

It was hypocritical of me to tell her these things. I felt alone all the time and never sought help from my friends. But I guess I was just a hypocrite like that.

"Thank you, Wally." She sniffled softly, nodding into my chest.

After a second or two, I released her and we entered the house. Once inside, we found that Roy had already set up the game system and Artemis, M'gann, and Conner were busy choosing their characters, all the while Ollie spoke with Aunt Iris and Uncle Barry. They were standing off to the corner of the room and speaking in whispers, clearly comparing notes about the situation with me. Because that is what I was. A situation.

I didn't even bother in trying to communicate with them. I just sat myself beside M'gann after having placed the book Zatanna had given me on the couch and called Apache over to me. Luckily, we began to play comfortably before I had any chance to feel chagrin over the adults conspiring against me.

~/~

About an hour into the small party, every person invited had arrived. James and Hartley had showed up about thirty minutes after the first six people had arrived, and they had brought their own birthday boxes. James' had been wrapped hastily and seemed like a paper monster had just barfed on it, all the while Hartley's was neatly wrapped in purple paper with a neat bright green ribbon at the top.

We had stood at the door, each one of us looking at the other in silence, all the while none of us was sure about what to do or say. To say it had been awkward would have been an understatement. Luckily, though, Roy had appeared out of nowhere, greeted them, and ushered them into my home.

After they had settled in, we had continued playing Smash Bros. while yelling and shouting at each other. Even though I hadn't conversed with my old friends, we somehow managed to find a comfortable placidity with the rest of the teenagers acting as buffers around us. It was good thing they were there though, I swear James was ready to start scolding me for what he knew I had done.

Some twenty minutes after James and Hartley arrived, Kaldur and Robin were the last to arrive. They brought their respective gifts with them and they had come with their own type of smiles to share. Kaldur was his own quiet self as he entered my house, but there was something off with Robin. Instead of hugging me and insulting me in a joking manner, the younger teen only hugged me and entered the establishment. It was as if he didn't want to accidentally set me off.

They all felt like that, you know. Every single one of them was worried about setting me off on some type of mad rant that they didn't dare insult me. Roy let me win at the video games and M'gann and Zatanna purposely killed themselves to give me a chance. I think Conner and James were the only ones that weren't trying to lose because they just naturally sucked at video games, because even Hartley got himself killed on purpose at least once.

This was just becoming ridiculous.

"So, what can we do now?" I asked after about the tenth round of fighting, another I had won.

Apache was comfortably splayed over my lap with his head on top of M'gann's thigh and was softly snoring while ignoring all of our yells.

Even though they had been rather obvious about letting me win, most of my friends still were yelling and shouting out like any normal teenager whenever something, _anything,_ happened in the game and if anyone saw us, they would think we were just a normal group of friends enjoying a small get together.

Too bad that peace was broken when James looked at me the wrong way.

I don't know what had happened, honestly. Maybe it was all the feelings I had been stuck feeling since M'gann, Conner and Zatanna had entered through the threshold- all the pain, hopefulness, and despair they somehow made me remember. Or maybe it was the apprehension that flowed through every inch of my body whenever I even looked at him. Or maybe it was just all the repressed emotions bottled up inside of me that finally reached a way to get out.

... Well, whatever the real reason, I blew up at James and everybody in the room was caught in the middle of a rather deadly storm.

"What are you looking at?" I hissed softly, silently hoping to keep the problem between the both of us.

But that would not happen. It never could. Because James and Hartley were a package deal. You insulted one, you insulted both.

And I guess it was about time we finished the conversation from so long ago in the park.

"What's your problem, Wally?" Hartley bit back, moving to stand up while James' eyes glared at me. "We're here to wish you a happy birthday, that's all."

I sneered at them and moved Apache so he was on the floor, even though he did wake up at the movement. I stood up from the floor now, my body slowly becoming tense and coiled as the rest of the teens around me stopped what they were doing to look at the three of us.

"You know, I don't fully understand what you two are doing here. If it were up to me, you _wouldn't_ be here."

Hartley glared at me now, clearly having been hit hard by my scathing words, but James sprang up like a venomous slinky, "We are your friends, Wally, like it or not!"

Everything seemed to stop for a moment. It was as if no one dared to move, not even breath. As if we were just frozen in time because of how precarious the situation we all found ourselves in at the moment and we were all trying to defuse it. Too bad I didn't feel like acting like a nice guy.

I scoffed at that, crossing my arms as the back of my knees hit the couch behind me. "Friends? That's rich guys, really. You say it as if you almost believe yourself."

"Wally, calm down." Ollie warned and now I noticed that he was in the room with us.

Last I had seen him, he had been inside the kitchen with a cup of coffee my aunt had given him before she left with Uncle Barry. Apparently he had finished it and come back into the living room just in time to find the small confrontation between us three.

"Calm down, Ollie?" I asked, then pointed accusingly at them. "Just what the hell are they doing here?! I thought you all _couldn't stand_ the idea of me hanging out with villains for friends. And when I finally let go of them, you _invite_ them to my party?"

Roy calmly stood up from where he sat and moved to stand beside Ollie, all the while M'gann, Conner, and Zatanna slowly dragged themselves away from the main floor of the living room, which left only James, Hartley, and I standing there.

"Fuck you, Wally." James growled, and I saw tears spring up in his eyes.

"What did you just say to me, circus trash?" I growled, eyes narrowing in pure anger at the blonde.

"You fucking heard me, you bastard." He whispered, voice trembling as the tears built up in him. "I don't know who you are or what we've done to deserve so much hate and I cannot believe you're actually using that insult against me..."

"Why?" I hissed, crossing my arms. "Because you know it's the truth? Because you know if it weren't for the Rogues, you would have died on the side streets of some nameless town because you weren't even good enough for the circus _shit_ you call family?"

"Wally! What the hell are you doing?" Ollie tried to grab my arm and stop me from continuing, but I just sped away.

"I don't know why any of you are here." I muttered, glaring down at them from the stairs. "I didn't even want a party." I sighed now, looking up the stairs and into what was my room. "I just wanted to celebrate with my real friends. You know, the ones that actually know me well enough to know that I would _hate_ a party."

"Wally, calm down and come down here." Hartley growled, moving to go up the stairs. "You know well enough that the goon crew is nothing but trouble! They drink, they smoke marijuana, they-" He tried to yell at me, but I just stopped him with my own shout.

"They've been there for me!" I shouted, causing everyone to suddenly freeze. "No matter what they have to do, what I have to do, or what anybody tries to tell us we have to do, they've _never_ abandoned me! They've never left me to brave the school jocks on my own just because they have a bank they just _need_ to rob! They've never abandoned me in the middle of a mall because there was a beautiful girl who's number they needed! And they've never left me alone just because they couldn't deal with my big mouth!"

They all stood quiet, frozen at my sudden admittance.

Then Zatanna whispered, "Wally, are you crying?"

Was I crying?

Mutely, I raised my hand up to my cheek and found that I was indeed crying. Shit.

The room began to spin now. I couldn't focus on anyone or anything. Not even on Apache's barking or Ollie's worried face.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, then turned around. "Please leave me alone."

I didn't need all of this.

"No way." Robin was suddenly beside me, his arm around me.

How the fuck did he get here so fast?

"Please, Rob." I whispered, making to move to my room to just hide away from everyone.

"Not on your life." How did Roy get up here so fast? I felt so dizzy. "We're not leaving you alone."

I tried to look up at him to try and understand what was going on, but everything went black before I could even raise my eyes to his face.

 **So an extra long chapter for having made you wait for so long.**


	25. Chapter 25

I should have eaten more food. I should not have allowed my feelings to take the best of me like they had. My feelings had just grabbed a hold of me and not let me go... My reasoning had once again been pushed to the way side because I felt _too strongly._

I was laying on my bed in Aunt Iris and Uncle Barry's house. I was on my back and I could tell I was facing the ceiling. I wasn't sure, but it felt as if there was only one person in the room with me, which was odd because I would have thought, under any other situation, my room would be filled with annoyed and confused teenagers wanting to know why I had fainted.

The answer was so simple that I knew it myself. I didn't need any doctor to tell me what had gone wrong with my body. The lack of food, the intense emotions, and the amazing ton of stress I had been under recently had all managed to get mixed together and affect me so terribly that I had fainted when I was forced to face an issue of great stress. A stressor, even.

My family and friends were stressors for me. Wasn't that just amazing? I couldn't even face them without being reminded of how worthless and vile I really was.

The life of Wally West was an amazing one indeed.

"Are you finally awake, kid? 'Cause I can _hear_ the wheels in your head turning."

I really didn't want to open my eyes. Nor did I want to face my uncle because I knew something bad was going to happen... I didn't know what, exactly, but I just had this gut feeling that it was going to be bad.

"Let me sleep." I mumbled softly, turning over on my side while bringing the sheets tighter over my body. "Sleep is good."

"I will have none of that, Wallace."

Before I could completely understand what was going on, my uncle had brusquely taken the sheets and comforter that had once covered me and thrown them to the side of the bed, glaring down at me with blood shot eyes. Had he been crying?

"Why are you doing to yourself, Wally?" He asked me, looking directly into my eyes as he grasped my upper arms with his hands.

Flashes of my father grabbing at me in a rougher manner began to appear in my line of sight and my chest constricted and my breathing became shallow, but before I could start freaking out completely, my uncle growled and pushed off of me.

"Don't you dare start doing that, Wallace! I'm tired of this crap!" He yelled, facing away from me as he began to pace from the bed to the door and back. "Every time somebody confronts you; Bruce, Ollie, or _me_ ; you always pull this shit on us! You always begin to have a panic attack and force us to treat you with kid gloves..." Now he was beside the bed once more, eyes boring into my very soul. "I am tired of your theatrics, boy."

His hands slammed onto the sides of the bed, managing to make me gasp in shock, but my body didn't move at all. I was frozen.

"Every single time _anyone_ tries to get anywhere with you; ever _God damn_ time; you hide behind a panic attack! No matter what we try to do to help you, you always _fucking_ choose to hide away like a _coward_! Aren't you supposed to be a superhero?" He growled now, lowering himself so his face was sneering right in front of my own.

I could feel the hate spewing out of his every pore. His blue eyes flamed with anger and his lips were drawn into the nastiest and deadliest sneer I had ever seen in my life. No one could beat that glare. Not any villain I had ever come across. Not _any person_ that I would _ever_ come across.

Without any warning, Uncle Barry suddenly jumped on the bed and his cold and calloused hands wrapped around my wrists. He seated himself on top of me and I could see that he was baring his teeth at me now. His sharp nails dug into my wrists so violently that I began to bleed.

Why wasn't I moving? Why was I paralyzed?

"Aren't you supposed to be a superhero?" He hissed mockingly down at me as I tried to struggle against his hold. "If you're such a big bad hero, Wally, why can't you free yourself? Why don't you try to break free?" He growled down at me, then leaned down so his nose was directly above my own. "Huh? Poor Widdle Wally..." He mocked, face twisting into a pout before he smiled wickedly down at me. "Can't even fight off his uncle..."

I closed my eyes tightly as I tried to will my body to move, then finally yelled out, "Let me go!" When I was finally able to gain some type of control of myself. "Get off of me, you bastard!" I shouted as I tried to buck my body up and down to force him to get off. But he was so heavy... And I felt so weak...

What the hell was going on? What was wrong with my uncle? Why was he doing this? Uncle Barry would never do something like this... Yet here he was, attacking me in a pure fit of rage. He was hurting me even though he was supposed to never hurt me... He was just like my father... _All_ men were like my father! All adults are just on this earth to hurt children like me...

Well, know what? Fuck 'em.

"Get off of me, bastard!" I growled, trying to wriggle my wrists away from his hold.

But the man's grip only tightened around me and he growled down at me. And it wasn't some metaphorical growl, kiddies. It was a full on, deep throated, menacing as fuck growl that burst from his lips.

"I will show you how to be a man, Wallace." He hissed as he leaned down so his lips were right beside my ear. "You will learn to fear me, your father, _everything_. You will learn to respect your elders and how to keep your _fucking worthless_ mouth _shut_!"

And without any reason or meaning, he was suddenly gone. My body now felt as heavy as lead and I couldn't move at all then the lights all around the room shut off.

The fuck?

I breathed in as deeply as I could, closed my eyes, then opened them again.

I had expected to face the darkness that had engulfed me once more. But now the room was lit up and to my right I could see Dick sleeping with his head on the bed, on top of his crossed arms, even though he was currently seated on one of my aunt and uncle's chairs.

Blinking in confusion, I looked around the room to find that it was the exact same one I had just been in before. But Ollie was standing at the door, holding the door close to his body while he whispered frantically with someone that was on the outside. To my left I found Roy sprawled out on yet another chair and he was fast asleep, just like Dick.

To say I was confused was an understatement, but luckily for me Oliver closed the door about ten seconds after the harsh whispers had ceased and turned to me. His blue eyes widened upon noticing me, but they softened as a soft smile overtook his face. He sighed as he made his way over to me, but kept his small smile when he patted my left hand softly.

"How are you holding up, buddy?" He asked me.

I looked up at him for a moment, then sighed, "Was I asleep, Ollie? Cause what I just experienced couldn't be anything _other_ than a nightmare."

He nodded at me, but his smile was replaced by a soft frown, "Nightmare? What was it about?"

He sat down beside me on the bed, blue eyes speaking of worry and doubt that he held deep inside of himself. I didn't blame him for that. It was as if all the kids he cared about wound up getting into some type of trouble no matter how hard he tried to keep them out of it. First Roy, then me, who would be next? Dick? Even I wouldn't be able to stand something happening to the young bird.

"Nothing too bad..." I lied to him, smiling softly up at him. "Just a replay of the fight I just had down there... Can you tell me just what happened? Why I passed out?"

His eyes darkened at the mention of my passing out, then he sighed and shook his head, "It was a mixture of things, Walls. A certain red headed boy that is resting on a bed right now has not been eating the correct amount of food for his crazy fast metabolism, and that was a driving factor as to why he passed out." He frowned down at me, silently scolding me about that before continuing. "Then, added to your needy body, you had a ton of stress mount up. I don't know what you're going through right now, but... All of it culminated in you passing out as soon as you face heavy confrontation."

I maintained my silence after he had told me this, my mouth drawn tight.

What could I tell him? The truth? That was an inconceivable notion by this time. I was much too deep inside my own lies to try and get myself out of it. Besides, I wasn't in my parents' home anymore. I wasn't getting abused anymore so I basically had no reason to be acting out anymore. The truth was hidden away too deeply for me to try and drag it back out.

But what lie could I concoct that would make sense to him?

Ollie began to speak again before I could try to lie to him.

"Kiddo, I honestly have no idea what is going on with you." He sighed, blue eyes shining of honesty and hurt. "I don't have any idea what emotional things you're going through and it scares me to see what they're making you do. And..." He breathed out now, getting up from the bed to look away from me. "I've spoken with your Aunt and Uncle about all of this. They told me that you've only gotten marginally better after they removed you from your parents' house."

"Ollie, I'm-" I tried to explain myself with another set of lies, but Ollie shook his head.

"Let me finish up before you get to lying, kid."

I immediately shut my mouth at those words, even though they weren't spoken harshly. If anything, he sounded more tired than angry at this point.

"I don't want to hear anything you have to say at this point. Your uncle may still believe whatever you spew out, but I can't allow myself that luxury. I know you too well to think that you would ever do any of the things you are doing..." He drifted off, looking out the window to my right. "Maybe that's the problem, though... I don't think I know you anymore... I don't think _anyone_ knows who you are."

To me it seemed as if he were voicing out his own, intimate thoughts, but I didn't dare say anything to stop him. Ollie was no fool. And he wasn't blinded by familial ties like Uncle Barry and Aunt Iris.

"Bruce and I know there's something wrong in your family, kid, we've known for some time. But you insist on lying to us and insisting there's nothing wrong."

"Because there's _nothing_ wrong." I bit out almost unconsciously, by instinct.

"Don't you dare give me that bullshit, Wallace!" He growled at me, suddenly turning around and letting me see his angered face. "There's something wrong and you're not saying anything!"

I knew Ollie was hurting because I was hurting, but I couldn't care. I couldn't have him thinking I was a child of abuse. I couldn't let him know that my parents hurt me. I needed to keep my parents like my guardians and out of jail until my little brother or sister was born. I couldn't just abandon the little babe. He or she hadn't even been born yet.

"There's nothing for me to say because there's nothing wrong, Ollie! Why can't you understand that?"

"Because you keep lying to me, Wallace!" He yelled back, blue eyes ablaze, "You lie, and you lie, and you _lie_! Have you ever stopped to think that maybe someone has already been able to catch on to those lies and knows extremely well whenever you are telling your tall tales?"

After he had yelled that out, my breathing stopped. I had never thought of that possibility, honestly. I'd always thought I was too good of a liar to get caught so easily. Could I have been wrong?

But before he could tell me anything else, there was a knock at the door.

"Barry, I told you to let me speak calmly with the kid before you tried anything." Ollie called as he walked towards the door, even though he maintained his tense stance and angered state. "You very well know you'd only end up yelling at him for not eating right."

But just as Ollie said this, the door opened and a voice that certainly did _not_ belong to my biological answer answered. Still, I did know it as _one_ of my uncles.

"Oh, come on, Ollie, I just got back from a freaking _month_ on Oa. The least you could do is let me see my favorite nephew without busting my balls about it."

Ollie's eyes were as wide as my own when we both suddenly found Hal Jordan smiling over at both of us, looking worse for wear but still happy. His clothes were disheveled and his usually perfect hair was out of its' gelled state, and he had some pretty big bags under his eyes while he held on to his ratty backpack, but he still managed to smile that mega-watt Hal Jordan smile at both of us.

"Now, where's that favorite kid of mine?" He asked, making his way into the room to bend over and hug me tightly.

I hugged him back in almost a daze, honestly surprised to see him now.

Uncle Hal had been sent back to Oa at the end of September because they had needed him for some reason or another I didn't really care for. During the whole time I was busy rebelling, not once had he come to my mind. But now that he was here I remembered that at least for a few years of my life before my fifteenth year, my three uncles had always been there to protect me, but Hal had always gone a step and above the other two. Because while Uncle Barry had Aunt Iris to care for and Ollie had to run around chasing after Roy, Uncle Hal had never really truly had to share his affections when it came to me.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, kid?" Hal asked, patting me on the shoulder softly. "Even missed your birthday. I'm sorry about that and you know it, right? Even brought you a birthday present to make up for my absence."

He reached into his army backpack now, leaning a bit back from the bed as he did so, then a-ha'd when he found what he had been searching for in the backpack. From there he pulled out a dog tag necklace and immediately pulled it over my head. He passed the necklace around my neck and finally let it rest at my chest, all the while he smiled down at the tags.

"A gift from all the Corps. Killowag says hi, by the way."

The necklace's metal was green and I could make out the Green Lanter's symbol, their energy battery, at the back of one of the tags. At the front I could see mine and Hal's names written in English, and below different types of alien languages. They were all incredibly small so all the different languages could fit, but I could still make out what they were supposed to be.

All the names from the people in Green Lantern Corps. that cared enough about me to give me such a beautiful gift.

"Th-thank you... Uncle Hal..." I mumbled softly, blinking back tears.

He smiled down at me with a glint in his eyes as he ruffled my hair, then he looked up at Ollie, "Think I can have some catch up time with Wally here before Barry gets back? He went to get food for the party down stairs and I would like to speak privately with the kid before he comes back in full mother hen mode."

Ollie glanced over at me for a moment, sighed, nodded, then walked out of the room. He was clearly hurt and it hurt me to see him like this, but it's not like I could tell him everything he wanted to know. I couldn't give my parents up like that. I couldn't give up on my unborn sibling like that.

A moment of silence passed between Uncle Hal and I, then he sat down beside me on the bed, leaned back on the chair, and said, "Now, kid, I know you're not too big on lying and you know I'm not too big on liars. So let's make this easy on both of us now and you tell me just why Barry looks like he could bite Ollie's head off and Ollie looks like he's about to murder your uncle without any embellishing."

 **So sorry for taking so long, but here's the chapter! Please review.**


	26. Chapter 26

I stared at Uncle Hal for a moment before turning away from him and bringing the covers up and tighter around my body.

"I don't want to talk about it." I mumbled, closing my eyes tightly.

Hal Jordan had always been there when my real uncle couldn't. I had wanted to completely ignore this and had somehow managed to push him to the very back of my mind until now. It sucked that he had returned when he had.

Failure was not an option. I had to keep my secret hidden from the world for at least nine months. Maybe once my younger sibling was born, my parents would stop hurting me like they did now. Maybe there would be no need for me to give them up to the police.

Even to my own ears I was beginning to sound like a broken record. But I couldn't just give up on my family. They were family. And family stuck together through thick and thin. I couldn't just give up on them because I felt like I couldn't continue living without breaking down. I was born into their family for a reason and it wasn't just to be their punching bag.

I cannot afford to end the battle just yet. A small life was in jeopardy and I wasn't about to allow my younger sibling to get hurt so early on in life.

"Can't I just be left alone?"

I was born into a hell. Hell's were I was raised. The hell known as my house is where I'm from and that is where I choose to stay.

Why did people make life so difficult?

"You very well know that I can't do that, kid." Hal sighed softly, shaking his head but still managing to look at me with a soft smile. "I get here after a month on Oa, and the first thing I hear about is how you've become a problem child and how your aunt and uncle can barely keep up with you. Besides that, I'm told that you started up a yelling storm a few minutes ago, then ended up fainting because you've refused to eat the right amount of food for your metabolism."

His eyes were full of sincere worry when I allowed myself to look over at him. And that sincerity hurt. Still I managed to swallow down the guilt I felt and looked at him with wide eyes and began to spin my web of lies.

I refuse to allow my younger sibling to be screwed over because these guys didn't understand when to step off.

"I just want to go back to my parents, Uncle Hal... I want to go home and forget all about these horrible weeks... Is that all that bad?" Then I scoffed and crossed my arms, "Of course it is. I'm not even allowed to go and visit them."

There was a moment of silence in which Uncle Hal didn't say anything, then he sighed and said, "I heard something about a wild teenage party from Artemis while I was down there. Care to explain that?"

"I wanted to drink and get drunk." I answered honestly without missing a beat, "It was wrong of me and I get that, Hal. But you can't tell me you weren't a teenager once."

He only shook his head with a small scoff, "I'm not one to preach about sobriety, kid, and you are very much aware of that. But you know that you shouldn't be drinking. Your liver can't take that kind of abuse."

I only shrugged over at him with a soft smile, "Speedster metabolism here. I have no idea if alcohol is as deadly to me as others."

Hal rolled his eyes at my answer and I allowed myself to loosen up a bit around him. He didn't want me to explain my feelings. He just wanted me to tell him about how life had gotten so difficult around here. He was much too ostracized from the big blow up to feel as hurt as Ollie and Bruce over what I had done. This was all just catching up for him.

So I decided that it wouldn't hurt to explain the majority of the things I had done and kind of make up not so bad explanations for those very decisions. By the end of explaining my life the past month, we were both laughing like old times.

"You mean to tell me that you actually have a dog named _Apache_? Kid, what was going through your mind when you named the thing?"

"Hey, he's not a thing! Apache is a beautiful dog!" I argued, even though my smile never faded.

I had needed this. To not be treated like a victim or an abuser. I had needed to smile without having to worry about someone catching on to what was really going on inside of me.

After that, Hal shook his head while saying, "Crazy ginger," Then we both fell into silence. It wasn't an awkward or tense silence like all the ones I was used to by now, so I actually enjoyed it for a moment. Then Hal spoke up once more.

"You say that you'd be better off over at your real home rather than with Barry and Iris?"

His tone had sobered up and become more serious, so I knew that our past lighthearted mood was gone by now. I sobered up like he and nodded with an honest frown.

"Uncle Barry and Iris both have good intentions. But the problems I'm going through can't be solved with uprooting me from my home and moving me to a place where I just don't... feel right." I shrugged now, looking down at the still sleeping body of Richard. The kid had been sleeping the whole time I had spoken with Hal. "They're barely ever here, you know. But my mom is always at the house. And if she's not, dad's there fixing up the car."

Hal nodded with a small hum, then ruffled my hair with a smile.

"I'll convince them to take you back, then. I can't stand seeing your smiling Irish eyes missing their smile."

With that Hal Jordan stood up from the chair and motioned for me to follow him over to the window.

"Feel like buying some ice cream?"

"Hell yeah." I smiled broadly, immediately going to follow behind him.

And in no time we were flying over the streets of Central in a green bubble formed by him to go to our favorite ice cream shop.

* * *

After Hal had bought Wally a huge serving of ice cream with what little money he had left, he returned to Barry's home and left Wally inside what was his room with Roy and Richard beginning to stir. Then the ex-pilot had walked out of the room and made his way over to the large group of people in the kitchen with a stern frown.

"I don't know what has been going the whole time I've been gone, but I'm sure that in your plans to do good, all you've managed to do is force Wally away. It took me a good five minutes to get that kid to smile, guys." With a shake of his head and a sigh, he looked over at Barry, "You need to let him go back to his parents house."

Immediately Ollie stood, though, "You can't possibly think of doing that, Hal! We can't let him go back to getting hurt!"

"Dammit, Ollie, the kid's already hurt!" Now he stalked over to the blonde, grabbed him roughly by both his shoulders, and shook him, "Open your eyes to the kid's needs and see that forcing him to do anything will only drive him away!"

In the time he had spent with Wally, he had immediately come up with a solution that would solve all the problems everybody in this house was facing. And even though they wouldn't like it, the first step would be to get the kid back into his real home and give him back his confidence.

Then he turned to the kids in the house that were seated over at the sofa.

"Unfortunately, I don't think your aid is needed at the moment." And before the blonde girl could argue with him, he brought his hand up to silence them. "You want Wally to get better, right? Listen to me and he will. Now out with all of you. You've done your part in screwing him up."

Granted, the last part was a bit harsh, but Hal was amazed with how incredibly muddled they had managed to make the situation up until this point. But no more. He was here now and he was going to play the favorite Uncle role to Wally like he was meant to.

Once all of the teenagers had left- even though James, Hartley, and Artemis had contested against leaving- Hal turned to Barry, Ollie, and Iris.

"You guys are amazing people, you know that, right? But I am _amazed_ with how blind you have been to this whole situation."

"Hal, you don't know the full story-" Barry tried, but Hal shook his head.

"You're right. I don't. And that's the way it will stay. I only want to know Wally's side of what happened. I don't need to know what you guys have managed to theorize or what diagnosis Black Canary has given you." Then he blinked for a moment and corrected, "Strike that, I want to know what Dinah thought of the kid."

Barry huffed at Hal, but Iris answered before her husband could stick his foot in his mouth.

"She believes he could have oppositional defiance disorder. ODD." She answered, looked down, but defended, "Which makes sense, Hal. He's a teenager, he's had some signs of being a difficult child, and he always seems to be going against authority."

"Iris, I don't believe in that type of diagnosis. Not for Roy and certainly not for Wally."

He could see Ollie bristle at the mention of his son, but Hal could not ignore the clear driving factor behind Ollie's insistence.

"Ollie... Wally is _not_ Roy. And Roy's been clean for-"

"Shut your mouth before I shut it for you, Jordan." Ollie interrupted, blue eyes ablaze, "Roy is a completely different matter that has already been dealt with."

"No it hasn't." Hal growled, shaking his head, "The kid's only stopped because he's worried about Wally. Hell, I'm surprised he hasn't gotten any deeper into his-"

"Hal, stop right now before you say something you'll regret." Ollie threatened, taking one step towards the man.

But Hal was not stupid. And he cared for both gingers too much to keep quiet.

"You _cannot_ push what happened into the back of your head and hope it doesn't happen again." Hal hissed at Ollie, "It _will_ happen again and God knows where we'll find the kid when he goes to get his-"

"Hal. Oliver. Stop."

It was at that point that both men noticed they had neared so much to one another that they were quite literally a hair's breadth away. Barry had been the one to speak up and his blue eyes were ignited with annoyance and anger.

"I have no idea what you two are going on about right now, but I don't think I can shoulder the brunt of knowing another one of our kid's has gotten themselves in trouble. You two keep whatever has gone on with Roy until what's going on with Wally has been solved." The blonde sighed, then looked at Hal. "So you think going back to his parents is the right thing to do?"

* * *

About two days after I had fainted, Roy and I were busy packing up the last of my belongings from my aunt and uncle's house. Apache ran between my legs with excited pants and yelps and I couldn't help but bend down every now and then to pet him on the head.

I have no idea how, but Uncle Hal had convinced not only my aunt and uncle, but also my parents and Ollie and Bruce to let me go back to my house. I had been elated when I first heard of the news and I had even felt a surge of happiness that I had not felt in a long time go through me.

If anybody knew if my predicament and saw me going back home, they would think me insane. I only saw that I was finally going to be able to protect the younger brother or sister I had almost unwillingly abandoned.

I didn't care that my parents could hurt me. I only cared about that unborn sibling I had to protect.

At the moment, I looked at Roy and noticed something odd in his arm. He had been wearing a long sleeved shirt but had brought the sleeves up as we worked. And now that I looked- looked closely, actually- I noticed that... There were holes in his arms. Small, barely noticeable pinpricks dotted the space in between his upper arm and forearm, and one would overlook them if they didn't know Roy before.

He had never had those before. At least, not before the whole fiasco that was the month of October.

I have no idea for how long he'd had them, but I knew what they meant. I was no fool and I was not ignorant.

I just found it hard to believe Roy would inject himself... Then again... Who was I to talk? I abused alcohol on more than one occasion and almost lost my virginity because I allowed my libido to control me.

"Perk up, kid." Roy had told me with an odd smile as he patted me on the shoulder once I had fallen onto the couch, having suddenly felt very, _very_ tired and heavy. "You're going home."

Looking up at him, I suddenly remembered a time when I saw Roy as my over protective big brother that would never let anything hurt me. I saw him as he was when he was a little kid with a gap toothed smile because he had lost both his front teeth someway or another at the same time, and I felt tears prick at my eyes as I remembered how we were once innocent kids running around with a kid Richard following behind us.

We had been _so pure_.

What had happened? What had changed? _Why_ had _we_ changed?

Weren't we the trio? Roy was a user, I was abused, and Dick had seen his parents die in front of his very eyes.

With a shake of my head, I tried to dispel my dark thoughts. I wasn't even sure that he had used anything. I shouldn't have been jumping onto any type of conclusion like I was at the moment. But it was so hard to shake the thought out of my head once it was inside.

Robotically, with bile slowly rising up in my throat at the dark turn my thoughts had taken, I stood up from the sofa and walked down the stairs of the house. There I was met with my family, Ollie, and Hal. Richard couldn't make the move because he had to do something or another over at Gotham. I didn't mind. I don't think I could have faced him too.

"Are you ready to start behaving, Wally?" My father asked with an odd look on his face, as if he couldn't decide whether to smile or frown, so he had opted for a mixture of both.

"I am." I admitted almost breathlessly, looking at my mother and father with pure honesty in my words. "I am _so incredibly sorry_ for what I did. I didn't mean to hurt you in any way and I swear I'm going to make it up-"

I was cut off by my mother hugging me tightly.

For a moment, I stood in shock and confusion without blinking. Then my mind caught up with what was happening and I hugged my mother tightly.

These people hurt me. They abused me. They violated me in all ways but sexual. But they were my parents. I couldn't just up and leave them. And I couldn't just try to forget all the years of abuse and all the hell I had gone through.

But the misery they put me through always had a justification. I always did something that warranted my punishment. I deserved whatever they gave me. Which is why I kept quiet about everything before. And now I had to to make sure my unborn sibling was safe from being placed in some orphanage where they would get abused as bad or even worse than I did.

"I missed you." She whispered into my ear and my grip on her tightened.

"I love you, mom. I love you and dad and I can't wait to be back with my family."

Everybody that knew nothing about my situation was so loud in their opinions and so quick to judge. They didn't care about me, they cared about making themselves feel better for 'saving' a poor kid. Well I wouldn't give them that satisfaction. I would keep my silence and live my life like a normal being to prove to them that I didn't need any of them. All I needed was my family. Because my family loved me.

"Let's go home now, huh?" My father asked softly, heavy hand falling onto my shoulder.

Of course, I flinched at the sudden contact, but I smiled up at him so fast that I barely thought about doing it before I did.

"Yeah. And I can keep Apache, right?"

The small dog made his way down the stairs now and my father sighed, even though my mother smiled broadly.

"Your younger brother or sister would love having a dog, Wally! And he's so cute!"

I was honestly surprised to see my mother react so well to Apache but I smiled down at her as she bent down to pet the animal. He immediately took a shine to her, which surprised her. He didn't trust easily... Maybe Apache could see how happy my mother made me.

With some goodbyes to the other people in the house, my father wrapped his arm around my shoulders and led me outside to the car, where all my things were already inside.

And as we walked over, he leaned over to whisper into my ear, "You'll behave now, you idiot. Your mother doesn't need any added stress with the kid coming and don't think I will think twice over disciplining you if you ever get out of hand."

Those cold words sent a shiver up my spine, but I managed to nod with a serious face.

"I just want to go back home, dad. And I'll do everything possible to stay there."

"Good." He mumbled, shocking me by moving his hand to ruffle my hair. "You need a haircut, kid."

I allowed myself a small smile as I climbed into the back of our car, then answered with, "Whenever you can, take me to the barber."

And I swear I saw a faint smile cross my father's face before he left and walked over to the driver's side. And as I waited for my mother and Apache, I couldn't stop the glow of happiness that began to emanate from my chest.

Maybe this time around it would be different. Maybe now we could be that good family we had once been.

Maybe my father would finally adopt the role of hero, rather than the villain. Maybe I wouldn't have to worry about my younger sibling because there would be no big bad villain to fight off.

 **Please review.**


	27. Chapter 27

Months had passed and my mother was showing off her pregnancy with pure pride. Her stomach had ballooned as the time passed and she proved to become much happier and much more caring with the life growing inside of her.

My parents had always been big on their image. They had always wanted to portray our family as the all-American, perfect family that had no problems, be they financial or emotional. Now that I understood this was when I could fully understand why they would give birth to me, even when they didn't want to raise a kid. My mother was that type of woman that flaunted her pregnancy at any chance she could now, and I believed she must have done the same thing when I was still unborn. So, even if they used their Christian beliefs as an excuse, the real reason as to why my parents had kept me when I was born was because they didn't want their neighbors our the rest of my family to find out they had never wanted me to begin with.

Their image... This was the most important thing for them. No matter how badly things were messed up inside my house, as long as the outside proved to seem okay, my parents were fine. This is why we were able to keep my abuse a secret for so long. Because they knew just where to hit so I wouldn't show much signs of being hurt.

Luckily for me, though, the time I now spent with them was mostly filled with comfort and safety, rather than unease and worry. My father spent a lot of his time working over at the garage, but when he came home, he usually did in a good mood with a smile on his face and some type of gift of food for my mother and I in his hands. Sometimes he would bring dinner, sometimes dessert, and a few times he had brought both.

Because my mother was about four months pregnant at the moment, she couldn't really spend her time cooking up food for all of us, so I took on the job to make lunch, my father would try to bring dinner, and she would be left to make breakfast in the mornings. If my father wasn't at home to make dinner, I would usually make it. And this worked out amazingly for us because it divided the work evenly and nobody worked more than somebody else.

"Wally, are you going to start on lunch?" My mom called from her office as I stepped in through the doorway, Kate, Mike, and Ike all following behind me.

This was yet another plus side to returning to my parents. Because I was back in Keystone City, I didn't have to be moved over to Central's high school after winter break. And my friends were all elated to have me back.

"Wally, you cook, bro?" Ike asked with a smile, clearly amused at the idea of me in the kitchen.

I rolled my eyes at him with a nod, then called over to my mother, "I will, mom. Is it okay if my friends stay over, though? We have some homework to catch up on."

There was a moment of silence in which my mother thought on what to answer and I knew it was because she didn't like them. My three friends were still seen as a black mark on my life, but at least my parents were wise enough to know that they were the only thing stopping me from doing anything drastic, so they usually tolerated them. Besides, at least they weren't as dangerous as James and Hartley, who were both known criminals.

"Fine." She answered back and that ended our conversation.

It was already January and school had started up once again. The winter vacation that had passed had been peaceful and good, seeing how my parents were busy fretting over preparations and converting the guest room to the right of my own into the permanent room that would belong to my unborn sibling. And because they had been so busy doing that, I had been allowed to run free with my three good friends.

During November and December, I went to a few more wild parties, but always made sure I had a good alibi in Mike or Ike's parents and barely ever drank. Luckily enough for all of us, both of their parents were fine with us going to the alcohol fueled parties as long as we didn't go too far and had a sober driver bring us back. They believed that we were already old and smart enough to make our own decisions, but they did tell us that if anything went wrong, we should call them before things got too out of hand. Unfortunately, I had not been able to meet Ashlynn again. Apparently her partying days were completely over.

My life was so calm and peaceful that I had managed to raise my English grades to a point where I didn't have to go back to the supervised studies and Kate and I helped each other to make sure we didn't need to go back to that place after school. And I managed to hang out every now and then with Richard and Roy, all the while going on missions with the Team whenever they needed me.

All in all, I had managed to regain control of my life by January and I was extremely grateful to Hal, who had been the one to incite the change. Ollie and Bruce both acted calmly and normally whenever around me, but I had a nagging suspicion in the back of my mind that told me they were still suspicious about me and what had happened in October. Luckily enough for me, though, Hal had forced them to give me my space and I was my own person once more.

I turned to my friends as I made my way over to the kitchen, "Either you start on the homework, or you come over and help me cook something up."

Kate smiled broadly and bounced after me, even though Ike and Mike grumbled while shaking their heads. They weren't the kind to cook and I was okay with that. I really didn't need them burning my house down accidentally.

So, as those two began on the tons of homework they had been assigned, I went into the kitchen with Kate and began to look through the refrigerator and cabinets to see what I could make.

As I did this, Kate hefted herself up onto the counter and sat there, waiting for me to make up my mind and help me begin cooking, "Where's Apache?" She asked after a moment of me rummaging through the cabinets, "I wanna pet him."

I had decided to make a simple fried chicken dish with mashed potatoes and boiled greens, so I had been busy taking out the salt and pepper to coat the chicken with when she asked that. Then I smiled over at her and whistled sharply.

Two seconds of silence passed, then Mike shouted out, "Whoah! How is he so fast?" All the while Apache's body came tumbling into the kitchen in speeds that a normal dog should not be using inside of the house. His black and brown coat shone as the light hit it and his big brown eyes were filled with happiness upon noticing Kate seated over on the counter.

The dog could not be called a puppy anymore. He was actually rather big by now and cost my parents enough when it came to food, but I had promised to look for a part time job to be able to pay for him. He reached just below my knees now and had a musculature that scared off any person that didn't know just how playful he really was.

"Apache! How's my favorite puppy!" Kate called as soon as the dog jumped onto her knees, shoving his head into her hands to be pet, all the while panting heavily, "Who's my favorite doggy? Who's my favorite doggy? You are! You are!"

I rolled my eyes as Kate used her baby voice to speak to Apache, then began to grab everything I would need for lunch. The chicken had been left in the refrigerator the past night- rather wisely- by my mother and the mashed potatoes came from a dry mix from a box. The vegetables were in a Ziploc bag inside one of the cabinets inside of the fridge itself, so I didn't really have to rummage too much to find what I would be using.

Even though Kate had offered herself to help me cook, I decided to just let her play with Apache as I prepared everything. She could always stir the potatoes once everything had finished boiling up.

"Hey, Walls, are you making enough for us too? 'Cause if you don't want to make so much-" Ike tried to offer to buy food for himself and Mike and Kate, but I immediately denied him that.

"My guests will be fed with my food, Ike. And you're going to enjoy everything I make because you are a good guest like that."

"Cool then."

I set the oil to begin heating up inside of skillet, then filled a pot with water and began to boil it. Finally, for the potatoes, I measured butter, water, and milk and threw it all into a bowl to begin to boil as well. Then, when I turned to the seasoning of the chicken, I heard Kate huff in annoyance.

"I thought I was going to help." She growled slightly and I turned with a small smile.

"You seemed happy with Apache. Besides, it's not like you actually like cooking. You only offered because neither Mike or Ike would help."

She pursed her lips and crossed her arms because she knew that I was right, but sighed and went back to petting my dog. Apache barked at me for a moment, as if asking if I was going to pet him, and I answered him, "Later, Apache. Once I've finished up with the food."

He seemed content with my answer and went back to Kate with clear happiness.

And as I cooked and chatted with my three friends and tried my best to keep Apache from eating the fried chicken, I couldn't help but allow the peace that had hovered over me for a while to finally settle. My life had reached perfect equilibrium. I was balanced in school, at my house, and my friends didn't suspect much of me anymore. The only thorns in my side were James and Hartley, but they were ignored rather easy enough.

"Be back in a moment. I'm going to go take this to my mom." I told Kate as she began to serve Mike's plate, my mom's own plate in my hands.

Her blonde hair bounced in her pony tail as she nodded, then I made my way over to my mom's office with her plate. I knocked softly before entering, a habit I had acquired back when my parents were still volatile, then entered the room. There I found my mother typing away at her computer, lips pursed in concentration, with a pillow nestled between her back and the chair.

"Lunch break, mom." I told her in a soft voice, not really wanting to interrupt her work.

Even though my parents had proven they didn't have any interest in beating me again, I still kept my old habits of being careful around them.

My mother swiveled her chair around and looked at me with an annoyed frown. Immediately bells began to ring in my head and my body tensed, wondering just what she could be annoyed with. But instead of yelling at me or anything, she crossed her arms with a humph.

"Wallace, you do know you don't have to be so quiet whenever you come in here, right? I may be working, but I don't expect you to be so quiet as to not interrupt my work." Then her frown turned into a smile and I felt my body ease, "What did you make me?"

I walked over to her and handed her the plate along with a fork, "Fried chicken with mashed potatoes and greens..." Then a thought suddenly struck me, "You don't like fried things. Oh, I'm sorry, mom."

She shook her head, though, and waved off my apology, "There's no need to say sorry, Wally. Your job is to make lunch and my job is to eat it. Thank you for the food."

Then she placed the plate over on the desk of the computer, and looked at me once more, "Do you want to see a picture of your little sister?"

Honestly, I was still getting used to not having my parents scream at me whenever I screwed up. And seeing my mother actually smile at me without hidden intentions... It still took some getting used to. And I had never thought she would ever want to share anything about my sibling with me- I had thought she thought I would only ruin him or her- but here she was, offering to show me a picture.

Dumbly, I asked, "You know the sex already?"

Her smile never wavered as she shook her head and reached inside her purse. "I don't, really, but I just have a feeling that it'll be a girl. I'm hoping for one, honestly. To finish the pair."

She smiled warmly at me as she offered me the small picture, and my hands shook as they made to grab it.

Even with how nice my parents had been the past months, I still had yet to have a parent/son moment with them. Apparently, my mother had decided that I wasn't too bad and was giving me the chance to prove I had learned from my past mistakes. It was overwhelming.

And looking down at the small black and white picture, I couldn't help but break out into a large smile. I could barely make out what the lines were supposed to be, but I _knew_ what they meant. Those lines meant my family was slowly being stitched back together by the love an unborn child was giving back to us.

"This is..." I breathed out, shaking my head, "Amazing, mom. This is so cool."

"I know..." My mom nodded, then her closed her eyes and breathed out heavily, "Listen, Wally... I know your father and I have not been the best parents to you... I know that some of the things we did to you warranted you to call the police-"

"Mom, you don't have to say anything." I told her, but she shook her head.

"I do, Wally. I need to explain my actions. I know what I did was wrong and the things I told you crossed more than enough lines, and I want you to know that I am really, _truly regretful_ of everything I did. I love you, son, but I allowed my negative emotions to get the best of me when I said those things and I never should have." She stood up from her seat now and hugged me. "And I want you to know that I am extremely grateful that you didn't call the police. You could have easily gotten us locked up in jail with half of the things I said but you didn't lift a finger. Just with your uncle's influence, we would have been locked up for a long time. So I honestly want to thank you for not breaking our family apart."

If I said I had been expecting this, it would be a blatant lie. Even though our relationship had gotten better, I never would have expected a real apology from my mother. And now that she gave me one, I knew that my actions had been the correct ones.

I hugged my mom back tightly and nodded, "That means the world to me, mom. Thank you."

Even though Ollie didn't agree with the things I had done, I knew that I had done right. Ratting my parents out would have done nothing to help us. Keeping quiet had kept us together and now this new baby was going to be our final saving grace.

"You are a good son, Wally. I just really wanted you to know that."

Tears filled my eyes at that moment, but I willed them away as I nodded into my mother's shoulder. "And you're an excellent mother, mom."

* * *

Uncle Barry had begun to take me on patrol again about a week after my parents had taken me back. I had proved that I was back to being my normal self by then, and crime was getting kind of out of hand while it was only Flash. And even though we had gotten off to a rocky start, Flash and Kid Flash had managed to get back to their customary banter and laid back mood after a few nights together.

Right now Flash and I were running over to the bank. The night was filled with bright stars and there was a light snowfall, which meant it was a rather peaceful looking night. We had finished up with Keystone City some two minutes ago and had been on our way to Central when the chief of police had called my uncle to alert him of a break in by the Rogues.

After my little episode during October, the Rogues had been out of action. To me, it seemed like they wanted to give my Uncle and myself time to get over whatever had happened before they began to cause mischief once more. And after my blowup with James and Hartley, they had barely taken the Jr. Rogues places that I could be. I guess it was their way of keeping our personal problems from running over to our professional lives.

In a matter of minutes, both Flash and I had arrived at the bank and found the floor to be coated in a thin sheet of ice. Which was dangerous because it meant no traction for us speedsters.

"Look at that! The Flash has arrived to spoil our fun once more!"

I looked up from the icy floor to find Captain Cold and Captain Boomerang standing over at the other end of the bank, bags of money in their hand.

"Don't forget about me!" I called, smiling over at Digger and Len. "And we'll be putting in jail, other than just spoiling your fun."

My uncle shook his head because he knew he was in for listening a conversation between the Rogues and I. Ever since I first started out as Kid Flash, we had always done this. Always the first few minutes of our encounter were spent bantering and insulting one another until finally Cold or Flash got tired of the insults and attacked first.

"Look at that, Digger, Baby Flash thinks he's going to grab us." Cold smirked, "I think he's forgotten who beat who a week ago."

At this my cheeks became red and I glared at them, "You guys played dirty and you know it! The only reason you got away was because I tripped over that dirty snag line you placed on the floor!"

Boomerang laughed loudly and I guessed it was because he suddenly remembered my pretty big fail the past week.

The Rogues had busted into the Flash Museum to steal some rather costly collectibles and my uncle and I had gone to stop them, but they had booby trapped the place in the worst way possible and I was caught by the worst of them. And by that I mean that my foot got caught with a simple line that was placed on top of the floor near one of the exhibits, and I was sent tumbling into it.

That small adventure had ended with me getting my ear chewed out by the main curator.

"You guys play dirty and you know it!" I bit out, and Boomer smiled broadly.

"I guess that's why we're called the Rogues, Baby Flasher!"

Before I could retort, my uncle cut in, "I could listen to you guys argue all night, really, but I promised to have Baby here back home before midnight."

"Flash!" I groaned, but I could see the faint traces of a smile on his face.

"Fine by me. Our own babies are staying up until we get back so they can count our loot." Cold shrugged and aimed his gun at us.

"Or lack thereof." I answered, then ran back to a few feet away from the museum, then in full speed into it.

Of course, there was no traction, but I used this to my advantage. I built up enough speed before I threw myself onto the floor and slid over to them on my belly. The shots Cold had fired at me flew over my head and soon enough I had bowled into two annoyed Captains.

The fight that ensued was filled with much cursing from Digger, a lot of growls from Len, and a lot of bad quips and annoying laughs from both Flash and I. And by the time we were done, we _had_ managed to capture Boomer, even though Captain Cold had managed to get away with his half of the loot. Still, we at least had gotten one Rogue, which was one more than last week.

As we waited for the police to arrive, I sat beside Boomerang, stole his hat, and placed it on my own head.

"Look at me!" I told him in a mock Australian accent. "Put a shrimp on th' barbie! Kangaroos an' didgeridoos! Killer animals tha' wanna kill me!"

Boomer rolled his eyes, though, and said, "Nice, Wallabee. Tell me, Flasher, aren't you supposed ta be teaching him to respect everybody?"

Flash smiled broadly now, "Only to the people that follow the law."

"Damned capes." Digger grouched, then turned to me, "So, you still ignoring the two runts?"

My joking mood immediately left me at the reminder of the two young Rogues, and I looked away. "Yeah. Kind of. Doesn't matter."

With a sigh, I heard Digger's handcuffs jingle and when I turned to him, I found that he had turned to face me fully. His face was completely serious and his eyes were filled with concern and worry.

"Listen, Wallabee, you know I'm not one for the sentimental things. And I hate repeating myself. But you kids have been pains in my neck for the past few years and I cannot stand the fact that you allowed a small tiff to get between you." His brown were sincere and I couldn't help but sigh heavily.

"Digger..." I breathed out, shaking my head, "There are just some things that can't be fixed. And rather than hurt yourself over and over again trying to fix it... Well... It's just best to leave it broken."

The sirens that belonged to the police could be heard, so I knew it was a matter of time before they arrived. So I took the hat I had stolen off and placed it back on Digger's head, then turned away from him with my arms crossed.

But even with my actions, which clearly spoke of the conversation having ended, Digger told me, "And sometimes breaking oneself to fix that which is supposedly irreparable ends up with _everything_ being fixed and, further yet, much stronger and much more durable than before."

By now the first police officer's had arrived and Digger had gotten up and walked towards Flash for the hand off.

But right before he was taken, I spoke up, "What if by breaking myself to fix it, I end up broken and completely alone? What if it was better to leave that broken and myself whole?"

The female officer than had made to take Boomerang from my uncle was clearly confused by what I had asked, but Boomer could only smirk sadly at me.

"Falling to pieces to keep someone else whole isn't worth it most of the time... But sometimes, Baby Flasher, it is."

And he was taken away after this, only to have a rookie officer appear before my uncle and I to begin gushing about how awesome we are. Fortunately, my uncle dealt with him and allowed me to turn away and think deeply about what Boomer had said.

I really did not want to try and fix up my relationship with James and Hartley. They knew me so well they were likely to catch on the minute I acted off. But... Maybe I didn't need to go back to being their friend, but I did need some type of closure. I couldn't just let myself continue ignoring them whenever I walked down the halls and saw them actually in school. It was not fair to any of us.

Besides, it's not like I was in any danger of the police taking my parents away. They were basically model parents by now and I had not been hit or insulted in weeks now. There was no danger now.

"You ready, kid?" My uncle asked me after he had managed to pull himself away from the fanboy police officer, voice soft.

Back when he took me back on patrols, he had tried to talk to me about James and Hartley. But I had shut down on him and refused to speak about anything. He was clearly worried about not only me, but also the two boys he watched grow up into respectable rogues. This whole fiasco had hurt him as much as it did Boomer, Len, and the rest of the Rogues.

"Yeah." I murmured, but didn't offer him any other words.

Soon enough, we were back to our patrol and then to his house where Aunt Iris would be waiting with food to give me before I made my way over to the Zeta Station and my home.

 **Please review.**


	28. Chapter 28

Hal Jordan had been preparing himself to leave once more to go over to Wally's house when there was a knock at his apartment door. This surprised him a little bit because he had not been expecting any company. Carol was having one of her bad moments that consisted of hating everything Hal did, so he tried to stay away as much as he could from her. And none of his regular friends knew that he had come back from his 'vacation'.

Still, he went over to the door and opened it, only for his brown eyes to widen at the sight of none other than Bruce Wayne waiting for him on the other side of the threshold.

"Jordan." The blue eyed man greeted simply before he entered Hal's apartment.

If anybody else had done this to him, Hal would have called them out on being rude. But he knew Bruce so he knew that this was just his less than friendly way of saying 'Hey, you're alive, I've got something important to tell you.'

So after he had closed the main door, Hal turned to Bruce and followed him into the small space known as his living room. Hal sat himself on the sofa, throwing his arms over the back to make himself more comfortable, all the while Bruce opted to sit on the recliner.

"You're here 'cause of Wally, right?" Hal asked as he eyed the small contraption in Bruce's hands.

"Yes." The slightly older man nodded, frown in place, "You had him go back to his parents house."

Hal sat up at the slightly accusing tone, but nodded, "I was only there for at most an hour, Bruce, but I immediately knew he had to go back to them. The kid was _not_ progressing with his uncles."

Bruce shook his head and asked him, "Did you know why we had sent him to live with Barry? Why we had tried our best to get him out of his house?"

"No. I didn't. I still don't. Ollie kind of right out on me after I had made my decision and Barry said he was stupid for believing in your dumb theories." Hal shrugged now.

He didn't mean to come off as sarcastic or condescending, but he had heard enough from Wally and Barry both to know that Ollie and Bruce had most probably overreacted over whatever was going on.

But Bruce instead of answer him with anger, the blue eyed man stood up and offered him the phone in his hands, "Would you like to hear why we decided to get him out of his home?"

Hal hesitated for a moment, but eventually grabbed the device and began to listen to the recordings Bruce had managed to acquire from the West household.

~/~

To say he had been shocked after hearing the recordings Bruce had brought him would be an understatement. The words used by both Mary and Rudolph West were insulting and made to scathe and were all clearly aimed at Wally. It hurt to hear him be insulted in such a nonchalant way, and Hal began to understand just why Barry had acted so rashly when it came to the kid.

But he stood clear on what had to be done with the kid.

"You still have those bugs in his house?" He had asked after the last recording, one in which Wally's father reminded him to stop being so useless and pick up some groceries.

Bruce nodded, "But because Wally hasn't been in the house, I haven't really heard any insult towards him. The worst thing I heard was his father saying it was all Barry's fault Wally had gotten into so much trouble, but that was the last I managed to hear."

Hal nodded after a moment, then said, "Keep the bugs in there. The kid's going back to that house, so we might need ears inside to make sure those two are acting like real parents."

Bruce quirked an eyebrow at his words, "You insist on returning Wally to that house? It's an abusive household-"

"And all we have are recordings that prove that both his parents like to use bad words, Bruce." Hal interrupted, shaking his head, "The only way to permanently solve this problem is to catch his parents in the act of hurting the kid. Because Wally is much too brainwashed to give them up. He _honestly_ misses his parents and _wants_ to go back to living with them."

"So you're just going to throw him back in there?" Bruce asked, voice steady but serious, "And here I thought you would like to play hero."

Hal rolled his eyes at the words, "Ha, who know Bruce Wayne had a sense of humor?" But sobered up, "Mary and Rudolph have both calmed down. They have another kid on the way too, and can't afford to get caught abusing Wally. And Wally is too head strong to leave them right now. So I say we reunite the family and have them live together. And the second Rudolph raises his hand against Wally, we run in there like hell hounds."

Both men looked at one another after Hal had said this, but Bruce relented, "This wasn't the _worst_ thing you could have come up with, Jordan. Goodbye."

* * *

The day Hal had heard the recordings Bruce had acquired from the West household had happened almost three months ago. In the days after, he had begun to doubt his plan and his own thoughts, but eventually he managed to convince himself that his actions were the correct ones.

Wally was everything but his son and he liked to think he knew the kid better than even Barry did. Which is why he knew that having ripped the kid away from his home so suddenly had been one of the worst things to do. Wally had always been rather attached to his parents, which made sense because he _was_ an only child, which meant that trying to get in between those bonds would have done more bad than good in the long run.

So it had been clear to Hal that the first thing they would have to do to regain their ever smiling Wally was return him to his parents. And one week after having gone back to them, when Hal had gone to visit, the kid's smile was back in place and his eyes shone with a light that had been almost extinguished while living at his aunt and uncle's house.

This didn't mean that Barry and Iris had been bad family members and not taken care of Wally, not at all. Wally was just too emotionally attached to his parents to suddenly be told they didn't want him there because he caused his mother unnecessary stress. Being forced to stay with those two had basically made them Public Enemies #1 in his mind, which is why he had made their lives so difficult. It wasn't their fault, really. It was just who Wally was.

Hal had made a point to visit Wally every week after he had returned. He had missed out on a whole month of his life when he went to Oa and came back to find the kid in shambles. He wasn't about to make the same mistake again.

And every time he picked Wally up at his house with plans of going somewhere new, the boy always smiled brightly and agreed energetically to go with him. After some time, he had even insisted they take his other friend with him, which was when Hal met Kate, Mike, and Ike.

At first, he had been surprised to find out that Wally had not been speaking about James and Hartley when he spoke of his friends. But once he got to know the three teenagers Wally chose to hang around with, he wasn't too bothered by the friendships he had chosen. Sure, knowing he didn't want to hang around with the two young Rogues was shocking, but at least the friends he had now weren't about to take him on a bank robbery or another heist like that.

Now he was heading towards his job over at Ferris Aircraft and was kind of annoyed at being an adult. He knew for a fact that on this Friday, Wally would be heading out to the movies with his three good friends and Roy and Richard because the kid had told him yesterday, via text message. And because Carol was still kind of pissy over his month long absence, the man didn't really feel like going over to his job and spend a whole day there. At the moment, he would have given anything to be Wally's age again, without a care in the world.

With a sigh he made his way into the building, trying to push Wally into the back of his mind. He loved the kid to death, honestly, but sometimes he believed the very boy was going to be the death of him.

There was a reason why he was Wally's favorite uncle.

* * *

Kate, Mike, Ike, Dick, Robin, and I had all gone to the movies a few days after I had that small conversation with Captain Boomerang. I was actually interested with how well both my old friends got along with my newer friends, even though I could tell they both had a certain amount of apprehension when it come to the kids from my school.

Richard proved to be the easiest to convince because he was cracking jokes with Ike about the movie almost five minutes into it. I sat with Dick to my left and Ike to my right, so I too got in on the fun of insulting the stereotypical female main character that was accompanied by an all too tough male accomplice. Mike was seated to Ike's right, Kate beside him, and Roy was sitting by Dick's other side.

Kate shushed us every now and then because we were much too annoying to be able to enjoy the movie, but this only made Ike's wisecracks become more frequent and much more brutal. Actually, we got to a level of not taking the movie seriously that Mike threatened to kick us out. He and Kate actually wanted to watch the action/romance flop and they didn't really appreciate us interrupting them.

And, come on, Mike was a pretty scary dude. So Dick, Ike, and I managed to lower our disdain for the movie and began to say the jokes in whispers. This had worked for the most part and both Mike and Kate had gained comfort in knowing that even though we weren't going to shut up, we were still nice enough to whisper the jokes instead of blatantly yell them out. But then Roy had smiled mischievously and turned to Dick.

This was at about the very middle of the movie. The heroine was busy chasing after a gang of vampires- don't ask why- while the hero was being kidnapped by said gang. I guess the makers wanted to seem different by having the male role by kidnapped, but in my mind, this movie was too bad to find any redeeming qualities in. And as the red and black haired woman ran, she yelled out all kinds of curses and threats.

"I honestly think watching Conner's static would be a thousand times more entertaining than sitting here watching this thing that is so bad not even the Joker would laugh at it."

In all honesty, what Roy had said wasn't all that funny. But the reason why both Dick and I burst out into laughter was because it was specifically _Roy_ that had said it. If it had been either Dick, Ike, or myself, it would be expected. But no one even thought he was paying attention to what was going on in the terrible movie.

And because we had set off on such raucous laughter, both Kate and Mike growled and commanded us to leave the showing. Ike blinked at us in confusion, clearly wanting to be in on the joke, but we were laughing too much to explain. And when we got up to leave Mike and Kate alone, he followed after us, apparently having decided that his money was not well spent in watching the film.

Outside I fell to my knees because of how much I was laughing. And Dick collapsed right beside me, holding on to my shoulders as we both laughed loudly at the joke.

"Come on, guys, it wasn't even that funny." Roy groaned, looking around the hallway we were in to make sure that nobody could see us.

But Ike was chuckling at our reactions and shaking his head at me.

"I don't think I've ever seen Wally laugh so much." He smiled broadly, then turned over to Roy. "Just what did you say that cracked them up like this?"

Roy rolled his eyes at Ike and shrugged, "I just said that watching one of our other friend's crappy television shows would be a lot better than being stuck in that movie for a second longer."

Ike quirked an eyebrow at this and glanced over at Dick and I.

We were still too busy cracking up over the fact that _Roy_ was able to say _something_ funny and were just about lying completely on the floor and rolling around in our fit of laughter.

"I agree with Ginger Sr., Walls. That wasn't so funny."

Roy made a type of grunt/growl noise deep in his throat. He didn't like being called Ginger Sr. and for some reason Ike insisted on calling him that. I think they both got along great.

"You know, there is about a whole hour left for the movie and we can't leave because Mike's our ride. Want to hit up the arcade?" Ike asked all of us, even though I'm pretty sure he was mostly inviting Roy.

Slowly Dick and I both began to sober up and soon we were seated up on the floor and looking up at both older teenagers.

"Lend us money?" We both asked at the same time, which made Roy immediately groan.

This was a lesson he had been taught long ago. You see, back when we were kids, Roy was always given the money that would be used by all three of us. It had been our mentors way of making sure none of us lost our money and had worked back then. The thing was that the habit had kind of stuck and Dick and I still asked Roy for money even though we had our own.

But... Maybe we did this because we also didn't want to waste what was ours when we could waste his first.

"Come on, Walls. I want to beat you up at Tekken." Ike told me as he offered me his hand, then turned over to Roy once I was standing. "Well, go on, give him his money."

Roy frowned at that, but still fished out his wallet and began to check how much money he had left.

I helped Dick up and we high fived because we knew that we had won once more. Then, when Roy handed us both three dollars each, we cheered and took off running over to the arcade, Ike chasing behind us while Roy walked calmly.

It felt nice. Being able to hang out with my friends once more without having to worry about keeping a facade up. It was nice to _not_ need to use one of my many masks whenever I went out. It was nice to finally be happy.

After we had changed the dollars for coins, Dick and I immediately ran over to Tekken to begin fighting as Ike changed his own money. And after we had played a few rounds against one another, both Ike and I had been beaten by the little bird. But, unlike myself, Ike apparently did not know when he was _not_ the better player and insisted to continue playing against Robin.

It was as they played and yelled over one another that I received a phone call.

At first, I didn't think much of it and excused myself from my friends with a smile on my face. I had gone outside of the arcade to not have so many noises surrounding me when I answered and leaned against the wall to answer the call. I hadn't even checked who had called me.

"Hello?" I had answered, still smiling after everything that had gone on with my friends.

 _"Wally?"_

Upon hearing the man's voice, bells began to ring in my head, "Rory? What's going on?"

The Rogues _never_ called me on my civillain phone. They would always contact me in much more creative ways than that.

 _"We have a small problem, kiddo. Zoom's back."_

My blood ran cold as soon as he said that name.

Professor Zoom was... The _worst_ type of villain I had ever met in Central or Keystone City. While most of my villains were part of the Rogues gallery and had a code within themselves, Zoom was a loose cannon. If it hadn't been for... Uncle Barry... No. Uncle Barry was still alive and Zoom had been sent back to his time.

 _"He arrived out of nowhere and demanded that the Rogues help him take down the Flash."_ Rory whispered into the phone and I listened intently, _"We have no idea how hew was able to get into the headquarters, but... He's got James and Hartley, kid. He's using them as bait. We Rogues... We can't do anything against him, kid."_

"Rory? What do you mean? Don't sound so sullen, just wait for my uncle and I to get there, we can help you save-" I tried to tell him, but he cut me off.

 _"The bastard's making us do things, kid..."_ Rory sighed, then I heard a door squeak open. _"Cold's telling me I don't have much time. We called to tell you that; no matter_ what _you see or hear about us Rogues; we still love you. And we... We never meant to hurt you."_

My eyes went wide immediately and I could feel terror start to grip at my chest. "Wait, Rory! We can come up with a plan! We can stop Zoom!"

 _"We all love you, kid."_ This time it was Len who spoke up and my breathing began to quicken. _"And even though I can't stand what we're about to do... We can't let Zoom kill the kids. They're just Junior Rogues. Goodbye, Baby Flasher."_

And the call was cut.

I stood there for a moment, motionless and barely breathing. Then I turned around and immediately ran over to Roy and Dick.

I had no idea what was going on, but I wasn't about to let _Zoom_ out of all people hurt my friends. I'd be damned if I let him.

 **Please review.**


	29. Chapter 29

"Roy! Dick! We've got a problem!" I hissed over to both my friends.

They had been pretty busy at the moment playing Time Crisis while Ike cheered them on. But upon hearing my rushed tone, they immediately ignored the game and turned to me.

"What's going on?" Roy asked, blue eyes narrowed.

"Family problem. _Big-Superman sized-_ family problem."

This was our code. Upon saying something was Superman-sized, we allowed the others to know that this was a superhero problem, not a civilian one. And as soon as they heard that it was just that, both my friends put the toy guns down and walked over to me.

Ike stared after us with confusion.

"Walls? What's going on? Are you leaving already?" He asked, hazel eyes going from me to Roy, then to Dick, "Weren't you all going to wait up so we could go and eat ice cream when Mike and Kate finished watching their movie?"

I smiled softly over at my friend but shook my head, "Unfortunately, a big problem's sprung up. Dick, Roy, and I have to get going so we can help solve it before it gets too out of hand." Then I walked over to him and placed my hand on his shoulder, "But you stay here so you can explain what happened to the other two. And I promise I'll explain everything to you guys come Monday."

Ike's jaw tightened at this, but he nodded softly. "Just don't disappear on us again, got it?"

I smiled sadly over at him, "Promise."

Then I turned over to Roy and Dick and nodded over at them. Without any more words traded between us, all three of us ran out of the arcade and the movie theater, those two following me as I led them over to the nearest Zeta Station.

"What's going on, Wally?" Dick asked me as they followed me, my eyes narrowed in almost anger as we ran.

"Zoom is back." I growled, anger building up inside of my body. "He's back and he's done something to the Rogues. I got a call from Rory and he told me that he has James and Hartley hostage."

There was a moment of silence that passed between us, then Roy asked, "How did he manage to come back? I thought the police from his time were going to keep him locked up until the end of time."

With a sigh, I turned a corner and continued running, "That was what they promised. But we all know that guys like these... They don't stop trying unless they're dead."

"We're going to have to grab our own gear, Wally." Dick reminded me after about a minute of running in silence, to which I nodded.

"I know. The Zeta Machine is just around this corner, it's an old telephone booth. You guys go to your places, grab your stuff, and meet me at the Central City Zeta Station." I informed them, already having a plan in mind. "I should have Uncle Barry with me by then and we can start making our way all through Central until we find just where Zoom and the Rogues are."

As I finished saying this, we arrived at the Zeta Station and I motioned for them to go. "I'm going to run over to my house, change, then I'll call Uncle B. You guys just focus on getting ready as soon as possible."

Roy nodded, but Dick asked, "Are you sure you want us to help you? I mean, I would understand if you didn't want any outsiders meddling with Central affairs right now..."

But I shook my head and smiled softly over at him, "Believe me, Dick, if I didn't want you guys here I would tell you. But I have a feeling that Uncle B and I just aren't going to be enough to deal with the menace that is Zoom at the moment."

They both nodded, then Dick stepped into the teleporter and disappeared in a bright flash of light. Roy turned to me for a moment, "We're going to get this guy, Wally. I promise." then entered his code and left in the same flash.

I stood there in that alleyway for a moment, allowing the severity of the situation to fully dawn on me, then I turned around and ran straight for my house. There I would call my uncle and tell him everything that had happened. Everything I knew. I wasn't about to let Zoom hurt the Rogues. Not even James or Hartley. No matter how much I couldn't them at the moment, I would never be able to live with myself if I allowed someone to hurt them.

* * *

My uncle wouldn't answer his phone. This scared and worried me, but by the second call, I didn't have any time left to spare and had to stop trying to contact him.

I had rushed into my home so fast that my father was caught off guard and once I was inside my room and had started to change, he entered my room with a questioning look. Upon seeing the blur that I was while I got dressed into my KF suit, he frowned and crossed his arms.

"Fridays are supposed to be free days from patrol." He had grunted gruffly, which made me stop in my dressing to look at him.

By that time I had put on most of my suit and was only missing my gloves and my mask, and I turned to him with a serious frown on my face.

"It's an emergency, dad. I know I promised I would be here by eleven so we could do some family bonding, but..." My hand tightened around my mask and I glared down at the floor, "Flash needs my help."

My father stood at my door for a moment, as if weighing his options and trying to understand just why I would break my old promise to them, then asked, "Do I want to know?"

I shook my head immediately at him, "It's best you don't, dad. I don't want you or mom worrying about me once I'm out there."

"That's the exact thing to say to make us worry, boy." He sighed, then shook his head. "You better come back in one piece, Wallace. And I'll tell your mother you decided to sleep over at Mike or Ike's house so she doesn't have to worry about where you could be and who you could be fighting."

I looked at him as he left my room then, unsure if I should feel happy that he cared enough about me to lie to my mom or worried that if something happened to me, my mom's reaction would be even worse for not knowing where I was. But I couldn't waste too much time. The Rogues were in peril.

After I was fully dressed, I had tried to call my uncle on my normal phone but he didn't pick up. So, once I had made sure my compartments were fully stocked and I was prepared for a butt kicking, I had run out of my house in stealth mode and began my run over to the Zeta Transporter.

As I ran, I tried to use my communicator to contact Flash. But all I received was static. With a sinking feeling in my gut, I changed channels and tried to communicate Green Lantern. He, at least, did answer.

 _"Kid Flash? What's up?"_ Hal Jordan asked calmly, albeit curiously.

"Hey, GL, have you seen my uncle?" I asked as I ran over to the teleporter, coming closer with every second that passed by.

 _"The Flash? No. He was scheduled for monitor duty twenty minutes ago, but didn't show up. GA and I are covering for his lazy ass."_ Hal's voice crackled in my ear as I finally reached my destination, then I opened the Zeta teleporter and inputed my own code. _"Why do you ask?"_

I arrived at the Central City Zeta Station in almost no time, and I stepped out to find that Robin and Red Arrow were both waiting for me.

"I just needed to know if you had seen him. Thanks, Lantern." I turned off the communicator at that point and looked at both my friends. "We have a small problem. Flash isn't answering my calls."

Both of them apparently came to the same conclusion I had a few seconds ago because their frowns became even more dreadful.

"Zoom is not... Someone we're used to dealing with." Arrow remarked and I nodded.

"But we can take him. Are you guys ready?" I asked, knowing full well that while only three of us would not be enough to take care of the threat we were facing at the moment, we would have to get going before the situation became even worse.

Robin nodded, "You're the leader today, KF. You know our enemy."

I smiled at him for a moment, then motioned for them to follow me. "Roy, you know how to hot wire a car, right?"

"Yeah..." He answered in trepidation, as if he didn't want to admit to it. "Why?"

"Because you two are going to need a way to get around, aren't you?" I asked softly, then looked around to see if we could find any good and fast cars for those two to use.

Immediately my eyes fell on a fancy sports car parked a few feet from us and I smiled over at it before running to it and motioning for my two friends to follow.

"Kid, we can't possibly steal a car." Robin tried to argue, but I only quirked an eyebrow over at him.

"Are you going to run all over Central to catch the bad guys? Rob, we're only commandeering a vehicle in the name of the law." I explained, then looked over at Red Arrow. "Get to work so we can start. The more time we waste arguing, the more time Zoom has to prepare for us."

My fellow red head sighed and groaned, but still began to work on opening the car's door. And in almost no time he had it opened and shut off the alarm before we could get caught. Then he began to work on getting it started and less than a minute the car's engine had rumbled to life. Both Robin and I were surprised with how fast he had been able to do all of this.

"That was... Flash fast..." I breathed out, all the while Roy unlocked the passenger's door.

"I've had experience in this, kid." Was all he growled out before asking, "Which side are we taking?"

I shook my head to clear it of questions about Roy and how fast he had done such a thing, then answered, "Take the north side of Central and check every bank, police station, museum, and jewelry store. I'm going to head over to the warehouse district and begin my search of the south side there. If you find anything suspicious, tell me."

Then I straightened up and looked over in my direction. I was about to start running, but Robin speaking up stopped me for a moment.

"And _you_ tell _us_ if you run into anything, Kid Flash. You know we've got your back."

I looked over at him through the car's windshield but nodded and smiled at him. "We'll catch Zoom, guys. Don't worry about it."

Then, with one final salute, I ran off in the direction of the warehouse district while Roy began to drive off to the north side. And even though I had told them to not worry, I knew I had only said it out loud because I needed some type of reassurance before I ran off.

Zoom was in town. The Rogues were under his control. And Uncle Barry did not pick up his phone and was missing from monitor duty.

I already knew everything was bad. I just had no idea _how_ bad.

* * *

Once I reached the warehouse district, I immediately knew Zoom was hiding inside of the Rogue's HQ.

How?

Well, the answer was rather simple. I had not stepped even one foot into the vicinity of the warehouse before I could feel the energy of the speed force running rampant all around me.

Immediately I ran for cover so as to not be seen by the man that was my uncle's greatest enemy, all the while turning on my communicator.

"I found them, guys. They're over at the warehouse district." I told Red Arrow and Robin, only to have Robin answer back with terrible news.

 _"Maybe they split up, Wally. Because we found Mirror Master, Captain Cold, and Heatwave robbing the main bank. We're working on detaining them at the moment."_

There was a grunt, then I could hear Rory scream out in pain.

I flinched at the loud noise in my ear, then shook my head. I couldn't mess up. I couldn't afford to screw up this mission.

"If they split up... Who knows how many more places they've hit?" I sighed, then made a decision, "I'm going to call the League. This has gotten out of our hands."

 _"Do that, KF. We're kind of getting overrun."_ Red Arrow grunted as something impacted against him, then I nodded.

Immediately I went about calling Green Lantern and immediately received an answer.

 _"Kid, what's going on? This is the second time you contact me."_

"Hal, we have a problem in Central. Professor Zoom is back."

Before I had to elaborate anything else, he had immediately answered, _"Green Arrow and I are on our way. The League's been spread thin but I think we can get Superman to your location in five minutes."_

"Good." I breathed out, then looked up at the warehouse where I had once gotten caught by the Rogues in an act of pure stupidity, "Then I need you and GA to go to Robin and Red Arrow. They're facing the bad guys over at the bank."

 _"Got it. ETA, two minutes."_ He grunted, then, after a moment of silence, he said, _"Don't do anything stupid, kid."_

If I had known Zoom would have split the Rogues up to cause more mayhem, I would have contacted the League and the Team before we ever separated. But now that we had, and I knew for sure that Zoom was inside the warehouse, I really wished we had known more about the situation before making any decisions.

"Don't worry, Uncle Hal. I promise I won't."

The promise sounded hollow even to me.

My communication with him was then turned off and I looked over at the warehouse.

The speed force was not a tangible thing. Feeling it wasn't easy to explain, so much so that I couldn't even begin to describe just what it was. But I know that every speedster had a presence inside of it and gave it off to others. I had my own signature and my uncle did too. Professor Zoom had one as well, but his presence was... Scary. It was as if his signature was clouded by darkness, anger, hate, and pride.

What worried me was that I could feel more than one signature in this place.

And... Damn it, he knew I was here.

I only had a fraction of a millisecond to move out of my hiding place before I saw Professor Zoom's yellow gloved fist ramming straight into the car, where my head had once been.

"Kid Flash. It's so pleasant to see you again." He remarked coldly as he straightened up, all the while I stayed crouching on the floor some ten feet away from him.

Ten feet was a rather relative distance, at least when you were a speedster. To normal humans, it was a big enough gap. To us, though, it was personal space because of how fast we could cross it.

"It's not pleasant to see _you_ , though." I remarked, glaring at him.

A cold chuckle left his mouth after I had said this, then he placed his hands on his hips, "Is that any way to talk to your Uncle Barry, Kid?"

"What?" I asked, quirking my head to the side, but my body remained stiff and crouched, poised to run at any moment. "Have you finally fried your brain too, Zoom?"

"Not at all, Walls."

My body shivered uncomfortably at the tone he used for my name. His voice was identical to my Uncle Barry's- just like it had been the first time we had faced off- but there was a hint of hidden evil deep inside of it that let me know he wasn't my uncle.

"Can't you see I'm your Uncle?" He asked, raising his hands up to remove his mask.

And there was an exact replica of my uncle's own face. There was no minute difference that I could use to tell them apart when it came to their face. The only thing I could use to tell the difference was that he was using his own Zoom costume rather than the Flash's.

"Sure, and I'm the Prince of England." I mumbled, then shook my head and prepared my body. "I'm not stupid, Zoom. And you're not going to be here for long enough to prove me otherwise."

And I ran at him to kick at his legs. But he had apparently counted on me charging because he only turned around and zoomed away from me. Immediately I ran after him and gave chase, my teeth bared and my anger boiling.

First he threatened James and Hartley, then he forced the Rogues to work for him, and finally he had done _something_ to my uncle. The bastard was going to be leaving this time period breathing through a _fucking tube_.

"Come on, Kid Flash! You can run faster than that!" He chuckled mockingly as he ran inside the warehouse where the Rogues had been staying, and I followed right after him.

I wish I hadn't. I should have calmed down, even if just a bit. I shouldn't have chased after him. I should have known it was a _trap_.

When I got inside, I stopped running and looked around the large space. Everything was dark and no light could be found inside except for what came from the opened door behind me. Then I began to hear his dark chuckling reverberate off the walls.

"Poor little Wally. Can't find Professor Zoom." He mocked and I had to shake off the feeling of familiarity of the voice.

He sounded _exactly_ like my uncle did in my nightmares.

"Tell me, boy, why do you fight for justice? Have you no idea how much better it is to break the law rather than follow it? How much easier it is to release all the anger inside your body when you don't have to worry about following the rules?"

His voice sounded almost disembodied. And before I could turn around and run out of the warehouse, the door shut behind me and I was left in complete darkness.

"You know, kid, I'm going to give you a chance to finally make a decision for yourself for once in your miserable life."

And one light turned on suddenly, and I could see what was a time machine. It was a rather archaic one, at least, when compared to the one Zoom used the first chance he came here, and Zoom stood to its side with his mask still down and a smirk on his face. The machine had a date written on it, May 23rd 2600, and a lever beside that date.

"Stop me from going into the past to stop your uncle from ever being conceived," He continued with his crazed monologue, turning on the machine to make the numbers start spinning backwards. First the years, then the days, then the months, and finally everything was moving fast down from the 25th century to the ones that came before.

"Or save your uncle and friends from dying in _this_ time period."

Then a new light turned on and shined on those three people. The three of them were bound and gagged to the floor of the warehouse, three shotguns pointed at each of their head's. There was a type of string wrapped around the shotguns' triggers and a timer that read thirty seconds on top of them.

My eyes widened upon seeing them all looking at me with hope and worry filled eyes, then I turned to Zoom with a frown and a growl.

"You're a monster!" I yelled, but that was all I could do.

For once in my life, I was frozen. My body wouldn't move. And I couldn't will it to.

What was I to do? Save my friends and uncle _now_ or stop Zoom from killing Uncle B before he had even arrived.

The time machine had now gone down all the way to the 21st century now and it was only a matter of time before it got to be too late for me to stop Zoom. Save my Uncle now or in the past? Sometimes, messing with the time stream was completely unfair. Now was one of those times.

I knew if I stopped Zoom in the past, I could maybe take control of the time machine and stop the trap before it completely counted down... Or... I could kill Zoom by stopping his own conceiving. My eyes flickered over from James' teary face, over to Hartley's worried one, and finally my uncle's own hopeful one. He was hoping I would make the right choice. I just didn't know what it was.

"Tick Tock, Baby Flasher."

Zoom had sealed his own fate.

With a glare, I glanced over at the time machine and looked over the numbers of the years. 2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020. Then at the numbers on top of the shotguns, 13, 12, 11.

"What are you going to do, Kid Flash?" He asked, smirk still in place. He thought he was going to win. 10, 9, 8, 7.

2015, 2014, 2013- now!

As I ran over to the time machine, the numbers went down to May 4, 2012 and I jumped at Zoom and slammed him against the machine at that exact date. Immediately the machine began to buzz and whir because it had been turned on, and while I struggled and punched the mad man, I glanced over one time over at Uncle Barry, James, and Hartley.

4... 3... 2...

"No!"

A shot rang out and Zoom and I were thrust back in time.

 **Please review.**


	30. Chapter 30

My anger was overwhelming as I turned to Zoom with pure hate boiling up inside of me.

He had killed my uncle! My best friends! And he dared smile at me as he leaned against the time machine's control panel, which I had pushed him up against.

"You're going to die!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, immediately pouncing on him to start pounding away at his face. "How could you!? How could you kill them?! You didn't even know them!"

"I didn't have to know them-" He growled, all the while managing to grab my flying fists and stop my onslaught, "To _hate them_." He finally hissed, then threw me off of him with an annoyed frown. There were no signs of injury to his face, even after how I had attacked him. "You must really try to get those rampant emotions under control, Wallace. It is unseemly of a hero such as yourself."

Around us bright flashes of blue, purple, and gray covered the bubble the time machine had created around us, which I guessed belonged to the time stream we were going against. Well, at least in this case we were going _with_ it, seeing how we were going one year into the future, rather than thirty-plus into the past.

"My emotions?" I growled over at him, eyes wide, "You killed my uncle! How could I ever be okay with that?!"

With that yell, I made to attack him once more, but he just sped away from me with his damn smirk still in place.

How dare he? How dare he still smile and smirk at me as if he had committed a completely innocent prank on me?! He had killed my friends! My _friends_! My _Uncle_! No matter how misguided they had been in their hopes to help me, their intentions had still been pure and they had still cared enough about me to try and cheer me up at my lowest moment. Zoom was going to _pay_.

"Calm down, Baby Flasher." He mocked me as he sidestepped me once more, then he poked his finger at me, "Vengeance does not look good on a hero such as yourself, KF."

"Don't call me that!" I roared, faking to my left and making him run to my right.

Which is just what I wanted him to do. As soon as he was where I wanted him, I jumped over to him and began to punch strategically at his ribs, collarbone, and stomach. I was no idiot when it came to combat. And I wasn't about to try and keep up the appearance of the dopey Kid Flash when I was nowhere near my home and Zoom was taunting me. He _deserved_ to die.

And even though Uncle Barry had never been one to believe in killing anybody out of spite or revenge... Uncle Barry was dead now. Because of _Zoom._ A life for a life seemed like the best way to go right now. And I was hell bent on stopping Zoom before he could harm another person ever again.

Zoom's eyes widened in shock and pain as my punches landed just where I wanted them to and caused him real pain. And he seemed to notice that I was hell bent on actually killing him because his stupid smirk fell off his face and was replaced by a serious frown.

"Stupid kid!" He sneered, eyes narrowing as hate filled them. "You can't kill me! _I_ am the _future_!"

Drawing my fist back as far as it could go, I reared it back so fast and violently that sparks flew as soon as it made contact with the bastard's jaw. He yelled out in pain as he flew back from me. Lucky for him, at the very moment he was sent backwards, the time machine arrived at our destination and allowed him to land on the grass, tearing it up as he slid over it. I had no idea what having pushed him out of the time machine and into the time stream we were traveling through would do, but I kind of had hoped it would have killed him.

"Lucky bastard." I growled as I took one step out of the time machine, then looked around where we had landed.

I was beyond angry. I was enraged. My blood boiled, my entire body vibrated, and it was a miracle my teeth didn't turn to dust under the pressure my jaw applied on them as I took every slow and cautious step towards the downed speedster. I was blinded by all of that anger. I didn't even stop to look around and notice where the Time Machine had arrived, much less who was around.

He was stuck inside a small crater his body had formed inside of the concrete on the floor, and his suit was ripped and torn from my scathing punches, some blood trickling from the patches while others had bruises beginning to form. His arm was wrapped around his middle, all the while he coughed up blood onto the floor around him.

"I'm going to kill you now." I nodded down at Zoom, eyes narrowed as I cracked my knuckles. "And I'm going to feel amazing after I've done just that. Hero or not, Zoom, _nobody_ gets a ride to jail after what you've done." I snarled down at him, then began to run to accumulate speed once more. "And nobody is going to know what happened to you here!"

With sparks beginning to fly all around me and my anger blinding me, I built up speed and neared Zoom in less than a second. And when I reached him, I threw my whole body into the punch at the floor, teeth bared and eyes flashing dangerously.

The punch hit its mark and plowed right into Zoom's chest, making him release any and all air in his body and begin to struggle to try and breathe.

I stood to his left, breathing heavily and raggedly with electricity sparking up all around me. The air was quite literally electrifying, in a way I had never experienced before. My body vibrated faster than I had ever been able to make it go and I was starting to feel just a tad bit funny. But I didn't care. Not when I was so close to finally defeating Zoom for once and for all. And because this man would be dead, I would be able to take the time machine we had used to get to this time and try to fix up everything that had happened before he had even come here.

With my eyes set in a dangerous glare, while Zoom gasped like a fish to regain his breath, I began to concentrate all my speed into my right hand. I was going to cut through his body with my hand. I didn't care if it was right or wrong. It was what _had_ to be done. I wouldn't let Zoom continue hurting people. Not anymore.

"Any last words?" I allowed myself to ask before asking, deciding that he deserved at least the chance to say one last thing.

"What the fuck happened to you?" He choked out, coughing out blood suddenly. "The Kid Flash I knew of could _never_ have done something like this. He was never able to tap in fully into his powers. What happened?" Zoom demanded, tearing off the mask he wore to make me face his own- _Uncle Barry's own_ \- face. "What did you do to mess up the time stream?"

With a sneer, "Nothing at all. Goodbye, Zoom." I bit out, but instead of my hand plunging into his chest the way I had hoped, it was stopped. "What the-?" I asked, turning to look at my hand, only to find it completely frozen.

What the actual hell? Ice?

"Baby Flasher, step away from the madman."

My breathing hitched at hearing the cold yet somehow caring tone, but I didn't dare look behind me. Not when I was so prepared to do something so _wrong._ Something so bad that not even the Rogues allowed it.

"Zoom has to be punished."

"Not this way, Kid." Now I heard another Rogue speak up- Mirror Master, Sam. "You're a cape. Not some Gotham bastard."

The calmness he spoke with irked me and I felt my eyebrow twitch, "He killed James and Hartley, Sam! He killed _my Uncle!_ " I roared, anger rearing its' ugly head and turning on him. "He deserves to _die_ and I'm not letting him _get away_!"

He wasn't wearing his mask, even though he did wear his full costume, complete with the mirror gun. Even though it was more than a full year into the future, he didn't seem to have changed at all. Actually, he only seemed to have a few more frown lines in his face, but that was it. No big change.

"Kid... No..." He gasped out, eyes widening. "This is where you went?"

His confused eyes confused me, but as I looked at him, Captain Cold used his gun to mount layer upon layer of ice on top of Zoom's body. The yellow man howled out in pain as the cold permeated through his suit and hit his skin full time, but I felt a sick type of pleasure course through me at that. He deserved the pain he got now.

I knew that Len's ice was strong enough to hold a speedster for a few minutes, so I allowed some of the anger in me to be replaced with curiosity and confusion. "What do you mean?"

Len then growled and smacked me over the head, "You've been missing for a whole year, stupid! Ever since this idiot came to Central and forced us to help him, you have been missing!"

I grumbled at the pain that spiked from getting hit with his hand, even though he was a regular human, Len was _not_ a guy to mess with even without his guns, but I had to say that I was completely confused.

"Wait... What about Uncle Barry?" I asked, speeding over to him and grabbing him by the front of his park. "And James and Hartley? Where are they? Are they still alive?..." Then tears begin to prick at my eyes, the anger leaving me to be replaced with sadness. "Please tell me they're alive..."

The sorrow that should have come from my uncle's and friends' demise had not been able to hit me because of all the adrenaline and anger coursing through my body while I tried to decimate Professor Zoom. But now that the present threat had been neutralized for the time being- I highly doubt he'd be trying anything as long as he remembered how terribly I had beat his ass not a few minutes ago- I could feel it slowly to start to seep inside of me.

Uncle Barry was _gone_. He had been my best friend. James and Hartley too. They had been... _So much more_ than just villains... And I had kicked them to the curb because they may have found out about my being abused. I distanced myself away from all _three_ of them because I had been much too afraid to admit that my family life was not as perfect as my parents had tried to portray. And they died before I was even able to _try_ to reconciliate with them.

They had died believing I _hated_ them.

"Of course they're alive, kid." Len grunted, even though it didn't have any kind of hostility behind it. " _You_ were the one to go missing that day. Not them."

What? No way! I had seen the shotguns! I had heard the guns!

"But... I _saw_ the guns! I _heard_ the blasts!" I whispered, my hands tightening around his parka. "They _died..._ "

But the man shook his head and took down his hood and sunglasses, allowing me to look into his usually cold brown eyes to see they were filled with concern, honesty, and warmth that were usually lacking from them. "Nobody died that day, Wallace. Those shotguns were fake. That noise you heard... It must have been a fake... All an elaborate ruse set up by Zoom."

My eyes widened to a point that they almost hurt, and I had to ask, " _Why?_ "

Even to me, my voice sounded heartbreakingly _broken_. It was a hushed whisper that held pain, suffering, and so much lack of hope that even I was surprised to hear it come from my own mouth.

They had _died_. I had... Zoom was... Why would anyone make me believe they had died when they hadn't? Why would _Zoom_ of all people go through all the trouble to do all of this to me?

"We don't know, kid." He answered with a breathless sigh, then wrapped his arms tightly around me. "But it's good to see you again."

My body was still and stiff. I didn't know how to react. So Uncle Barry was still alive? And the Jr. Rogues were too?

The full weight of what I had almost done suddenly fell onto me and my knees buckled under the sudden feeling of heaviness. Len started at my body falling, and soon enough his arms were wrapped fully around my body as I broke down into sobs. My body shook and my hands rattled, all the while tears fell without penance, as fast as they could leave my eyes.

"Whoah, Wally!" He shouted out in concern, all the while he slowly fell onto the floor with me. "What's wrong? What happened?"

But I couldn't answer him.

I had sworn they had died and I had almost killed Professor Zoom in a fit of anger.

I didn't deserve to be called a hero.

I didn't even deserve to live.

I deserved to die.

Just like I had tried to kill Zoom, someone else had to come and kill me.

I deserved to _die._

And as I broke down further and my sobs became more heartbreaking, the rest of the Rogues were attracted to the scene and crowded around me. And when I saw James and Hartley looking over at me from behind Digger's shoulder, my shaking became even more violent and my thoughts more painful.

How could I have allowed our friendship to break down so horribly? How _dare_ I break up what used to be the Troublesome Trio? How come I thought I deserved more from them when, clearly, they deserved so much better from me?

I was _despicable._

"I'm sorry." I found myself whispering, hiding my face inside of Len's heavily clothed shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I'm so _extremely_ sorry."

"Wally? Len, what's going on? What's Wally doing here?" James asked and my sobs suddenly cut off because I found I couldn't breath anymore.

I choked and choked and Len immediately held me at arms length to look at me, eyes wide and face alarmed, "Breath, kid! You have to remember to breath!"

"Breath, Wally!" Hartley yelled, but I couldn't.

There was a force around my throat... I _couldn't_.

Tears still streamed but I honestly felt like I was going to die. Asphyxiated by my own stupidity. Way to go, Walls. Survived years of child abuse only to die at your own hands. Good job, kid. You're proving your dad right.

"He's choking, Len! You have to help him!" James yelled, then Digger growled, "Shut up and let the man work, James."

"Give me some space!" Len grunted while holding onto me tightly. "Wally, listen to me and only me. Focus only on _my voice_. Ignore _everything_ else."

I gasped and gulped, trying to acquire any type of oxygen to be able to breathe, and I tried my best to look only at him, but my eyes kept slipping and looking over at James and Hartley whenever I began to calm. With a growl he grabbed my face harshly and made me look directly at him, and held my head in place to make sure I could finally stop.

"Look at me and only me, kid. Now listen to me. Everyone is _fine._ Your annoying team is still giving villains problems. James and Hartley are _alive_. Barry and Iris are still living in their little old house as if they were the perfect American couple. _We're all fine and alive."_

After he had said those words, I repeated them like a mantra. Everyone was alive. No one was killed. No one had been hurt. No one but... _Myself_.

My breathing returned. I didn't choke on thin air anymore and the current danger of me dying had passed.

But upon visualizing my uncle and friends' supposed deaths once more, I felt myself begin to cry once more. I still breathed, but I hugged Len tightly and sobbed into his shoulder. I had seen them _die_... Who played such a sick joke on someone? _Why_ would anyone do this?

"Is... Is he okay?" I heard James' soft voice break through the thick silence that fell all over us, but I kept on crying.

I couldn't say anything. My throat hurt. It was raw from my sobs and screams.

Mirror Master and Heatwave shuffled over to both my friends, and Sam said, "Come on... Let's go make sure Zoom is under control."

Both teens left without an argument and I didn't know if that relieved me or concerned me. But that left me in the room with Mark, Digger, and Roscoe.

"I'm so sorry..."

I didn't know why I was apologizing anymore- for lying, for trying to kill Zoom, for keeping the abuse a lie, for making them go through a hell couldn't imagine when I disappeared for chasing after Zoom... I didn't know- but I knew that the apology and pain in my voice was completely real.

" _I'm sorry._ "

 **Please review. Did y'all notice that this is the magical thirtieth chapter? Chapter thirty! Congratulations guys! You've gotten me to write such a long story that I cannot stop writing anymore! Congratulate yourself.**


	31. Chapter 31

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Baby Flasher."

That's what they kept saying. "Don't be sorry."

But how could I _not_ feel sorry? How could I just forget all of my murderous thoughts at the drop of a hat? And how could I just ignore the turbulent emotions I had felt at the perceived deaths of three people that were very important to me?

I had almost destroyed my uncle's greatest enemy in a fit of rage. And I was proud of myself about having been able to beat him up until I had found out my uncle was not dead.

Now I lay on the bed the Rogues had given me some twenty minutes ago so I could rest. It was inside of a room I recognized extremely well. It was a room I had used many times before. Because this was the room the Rogues kept as an extra for me to use whenever I wanted to visit them.

Back when I was still young and naive, I would allow myself to be 'kidnapped' by the Rogues to be able to hang out with James and Hartley because my uncle never really let me go with them willingly. Of course, as time passed and my uncle noticed that these kidnappings were too frequent and I was always returned unscathed, he and the Rogues came to an agreement to just call one another whenever us kids wanted a sleepover.

What was weird was that this room looked exactly like it had the last time I had been in here. Which was in July, a few months before I decided that James and Hartley weren't good enough friends for me... It seemed as if no one had even touched it if not to take care of the dust that would have undoubtedly piled up by now.

Had they stopped entering this room once I had gone missing?

It wouldn't surprise me, honestly. These guys... As much as I loved them, they loved me. They all made up this weird and convoluted family that I was elated to be a part of. And they were there for me whenever my uncle, Hal, Ollie, or my parents couldn't be. And they were the trouble making 'uncles' that loved pissing the Flash off at the beginning of their rivalry by making it seems as if I was eager to join them and their evil-doing ways.

My 'disappearance' must have hit them hard. Just by looking at Len's face, I knew it had done quite a number on him. I could only imagine how the rest of them must have felt when they found out their Baby Flasher had gone missing after Professor Zoom had forced them to wreak havoc upon the city.

Someone knocked softly on my door and I sat up from the bed. I had not been able to rest at all. My body was tense and my mind was still reeling from all the surprises I had been met with today.

"Come in." I called out and in stepped up from my bed, straightening up to look at the visitor without any trouble.

It was Weather Wizard. He was dressed in normal clothes and did not have any of his devices anywhere nearby. Without his costume, he looked like just another person that you might find on the streets. All of the Rogues seemed like that, actually, once they stripped of their villain personas.

"How are you feeling, Kiddo?" He asked softly, blue eyes oddly devoid of any type of harshness.

I smiled up at him and answered, "Pretty good... Considering..." But cut myself off there.

A beat of silence passed between us, then Mark spoke up, "We contacted your uncle and explained everything that happened. Zoom, time travel, how you got here... Everything. And he said that we should send you back to your own time as soon as possible to see if we can change the time stream and make sure you _don't_ disappear this time around," As he said this, I could see the pain hidden deep inside his eyes. The Rogues were really hurt by my sudden disappearance. "But before we do that, he wanted for your family to see you one last time. Just so they can have some peace of mind."

I quirked an eyebrow at that but didn't question it. I didn't have to go through the year of heartache these people went through. I could at least ease some of their pain by showing up instead of running away like a coward. Besides, it'd be cool to see if my sibling before my parents technically did.

"Let's go, then."

"Hold up there, Speedy Gonzalez." He stopped me from leaving the room with a hand on my shoulder and I turned to look with my lips pursed slightly, "It's been quite a while since any of us has seen you... Since _I've_ seen you... Give me some time to see you like this without you running off."

Then Mark raised his hands so they were on my shoulders and he _looked_ at me. His eyes spoke of dozens of emotions running through him in the few seconds he held me there in that spot and I could understand just why he was doing this. He hadn't seen me in a _whole year._ He had thought I was dead. Seeing me now, feeling me to make sure I wasn't some apparition... It was a miracle the rest of the Rogues hadn't done this.

"God... You look the exact same way you did the last time I saw you." He breathed out with a shake of his head, then closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them and nodded to the door, "Let's get going, then. To see your family."

I didn't comment on what had happened with him. To me it seemed like he needed a moment to make sure I was a live and a lot more. A lot more reassurance than what he was just given.

I followed him into the inner workings of the warehouse they called home and there I found the rest of the Rogues, all dressed in normal clothing and none with a weapon close by.

"Ready, kid?" Len asked as soon as I was standing in front of them, sunglasses covering his ice blue eyes.

I glanced over each Rogue for a moment, took in all the differences between the ones I was used to seeing and the ones in front of me now, but nodded and smiled softly over at the man, "Ready as I'll ever be."

Len actually smiled at me- something I wasn't completely used to coming from the man- then he motioned for me to follow him. The rest of the Rogues followed after both of us as we left the warehouse, then I was guided over to a black van parked out front.

"We bought this about a month after you... You know." James explained softly as he opened the door, motioning for me to get inside. "We decided that living normal lives for a while wouldn't be such a bad thing... And we only robbed a few banks afterwards."

Honestly, I was surprised to hear that they had actually managed to stop themselves from stealing for so long, but I didn't question it and instead got into the van and accommodated myself at the front row of chairs, right beside the window. James and Hartley both sat to my right while the rest of the Rogues piled into the vehicle with practiced ease. Len was driving and Digger was in the passenger's chair.

The ride to my uncle's home was quiet but comfortable. There were still undertones of slight unease from the Rogues, but James was as chipper as I remembered him as he talked my ear off about everything that came to his mind. Hartley was a bit more quiet than I was used to, but I guess that should not have surprised me. For them, I had been missing for a whole year. They may have thought I was dead.

The more I thought about that, the more I noticed just how unfair I had been to them. I thought my uncle and best friends had died for less than a day and I had gone virtually insane. I had no idea just how these guys managed to stay so strong for so long.

Life really was unfair.

When we reached my uncle's home, the first thing I noticed was how my uncle and aunt were waiting at the very front, holding onto each other tightly with their eyes wide. I guess they were hoping that Len's words were true but still doubted them. I couldn't blame them for that.

First the Rogues got out. Len went over to my aunt and uncle and spoke a bit with them as I waited for the others to get out before me. The three spoke in slightly hushed voices, most probably to keep others from overhearing, but when I saw my aunt's eyes fill with tears while she began to smile broadly, I knew that Len was insisting that I was alive.

That was when I got out of the van and went to the front of it. But once I had a clear view of the house and the people in front, my feet stumbled for a moment.

I had caused _so_ many people _so much_ pain... Just because I was angry.

Did I really deserve any happy ending? Would that have been fair? After everything I had done?

With a sigh, I shoved my hands into my pockets and slowly made my way over to my aunt and uncle.

Before I had even gotten past the front of the van, I was enveloped in one of the tightest hugs I had ever found myself in. Strong arms basically crushed me into a broad and toned chest and I immediately knew that Uncle Barry had not been patient enough to wait for me to get to them. He had run over to me as soon as he had seen me. And he hugged me tighter than he ever had before.

"You're actually alive..." He breathed out, voice slightly smothered because his face was mushed against my shoulder. "When Len first told me... You're _here_."

Slowly I brought my arms up and around his back, allowing my own head to fall against his shoulder and nodded softly. "I am. I am."

We stayed like that for a moment longer, then I saw my aunt walking up to us. But instead of letting me go to allow her to hug me alone, Uncle Barry only offered her one arm and soon enough I found myself hugging them both. Tears pricked at my eyes as we hugged, but I refused to allow them to fall. It had been my fault, after all, they were so saddened and hurt. I didn't deserve to even cry.

Once they let go of me, I was able to see their faces clearly. Aunt Iris had tears tracks on her cheeks, just like Uncle Barry, but much like Len, they looked as if they hadn't changed at all except for a few wrinkles.

"It's been so long..." Aunt Iris muttered with a shake of her head, then smiled broadly at me. "But our Wally's finally come back to us!"

Her kind words caused me to blush softly at how stupid I had been when I chased after Zoom for revenge and I raised my hand to scratch at my head, "Yeah... Sorry about causing you all to worry so much... I didn't really think too far ahead when I made the choice to stop Zoom." I apologized, knowing very well all the damage I had unknowingly wrought.

Uncle Barry's hand lifted up and ruffled my hair with a soft smile on his face, "Here's the thing about that kid, you have the time machine now. We can send you back to your own time and this future would never exist. You would remain with us for that year you disappeared."

His words were supposed to be comforting, but a pit formed in my stomach. Could this future be better than the one I would be creating when I went back? I mean, here, the Rogues didn't seem to be active villains. James himself had said they'd only robbed a _few_ banks. That was in a year. Back in my time, they would try to rob at least two banks a week.

If they thought I was dead... Could their lives be better? And could my going back to change the time stream only make their lives worse?

"I can see those gears in your head turning, Walls. Stop thinking so much." My uncle's voice broke through my heavy thoughts suddenly then he moved his head to point at their house. "Come on. There's someone in there waiting to meet you."

"Meet me?" I asked dumbly as my uncle began to pull me towards the house, but I just allowed him to do so even though I had no idea if I wanted to go back to my own time.

"Marry! Rudy! Cary!" He called in as soon as he passed through the door and my ears perked up at the last name.

"Cary?" I repeated, looking up at my uncle and aunt- who had joined in behind us with the rest of the Rogues- "Who's Cary?"

None of them answered me though, and only ushered me into the home without a single word passing between us. James was the only one that made it seem as if he had heard me, but he only gave me two thumbs up from behind Hartley's back.

I followed my uncle through the halls of the house I had basically grown up in but stopped short as soon as I came across the family room. There was my father sitting with a complacent smile on his face. Then I could see my mother sitting on the floor with a lot of large building blocks in front of her, the kind little kids used. But... I must have been going crazy... I could see a little girl with bright green eyes and red hair a shade browner than my own bubbling up at my mother with her little hands making to grab at her.

"Wallace!" My mother shouted as soon as she had seen me, grabbing the little girl and immediately making to run my way.

I didn't react as the Rogues and my aunt and uncle moved away from me to allow my parents space. I didn't react when my mother's arm wrapped around me, managing to box in the little kid between our bodies. And I barely reacted when my father wrapped his large arms around all of us to finish the family hug.

But I did react when I felt the little girl's hand rise up to my face, immediately trying to grab at whatever she found interesting there. I wrapped my hands around my mother and buried my face into my father's chest.

"I'm _so incredibly sorry_." I told them, tears springing up in my eyes but not falling.

"We're just so happy to have you back!" My mother answered, and I could hear the tears in her voice.

"Don't you ever dare scare us like that ever again, Wally!" My father growled back but I understood that he wasn't angry at me, he was angry with the lousy situation he had lived with for so long.

Once we were done with our hug, we separated and I could see that the Rogues had made themselves comfortable all along the family room, James playing happily with the kid's building blocks, while my aunt and uncle conversed softly with them.

When they noticed we had finished our hug, Len stood up with a soft smile, "We can now say that our family is complete."

Our family. They were one large happy family. I had completed them.

The smile I wore now almost faltered at the realization that I could be ruining a perfectly perfect future by going back, but I tried to keep the good mood about me.

Soon enough my aunt went to make some food with Rory's help- who knew the pyromaniac liked to cook?- and we were left in the family room with the rest of the Rogues and my parents... And my sister. Her name was Caroline. Her nickname was Cary. She continued the family tradition of having a name too long and having a pretty dopey nickname. She must have been the bubbliest one year old I had ever seen in my life.

Right now I stood off to the side of the family room with my uncle beside me, both of us leaning against the wall with our arms crossed. Even though I was sure that my family would have loved to hear me talk more and see me interact more with the rest of them, they also understood this must have been shocking to me so they allowed me some space.

But as I watched my parents and James play with my little sister, I couldn't help the dumb smile that made its way onto my face. She was so happy. They were so happy.

The thoughts of just disappearing became louder in my head as I noticed this.

As we watched them play, my uncle leaned down so he could whisper in my ear, "She's just a bundle of joy, isn't she? Reminds me of you when you were that age."

"Really? I was that cute?" I asked him, which made him chuckle and push my head softly in jest.

"No, you were the ugliest baby I had seen in my life." He answered sarcastically, then looked back at my parents with a wistful sigh.

My father had Carry in his arms and he was lifting her up and down slowly all the while James made jet noises and my mother tickled her tummy. They... They looked like the perfect family, actually. James was the older brother, my parents the proud ones I had barely met in my own time, and my little sister the bundle of joy they all deserved in their lives.

My mood darkened even more at these thoughts, but my uncle spoke up before I could sink too deep into those thoughts.

"Your parents are amazing, Walls... And to think the Bat ever thought you were abused..." He said that so offhandedly that I had to run the words over in my head afterwards.

What? The Bat had known?

My eyes immediately widened at that, but Uncle Barry didn't notice.

"And James has just about left his villainous ways. Your parents have convinced him to stay in school and graduate. And Hartley visits them every once in a while with James... Losing you... It made us realize what was really important..."

I looked up at him then and shook my head, "Uncle Barry, I'm _so_ -"

But he cut me off.

"You'll be going back to your time and we'll never experience that pain. And that brings me a lot of reassurance, kid. You have no idea how great it is to know that I won't have to live through a whole year of thinking you were dead."

But... I didn't want that to happen. This future was great! The Rogues were barely thieves, my parents got along, my sister was _amazing_ , and James and Hartley seemed to finally be going to school and getting their lives right! All of this... Without me. I was the problem in their lives. Not anything else.

At that point Aunt Iris and Rory walked out of the kitchen and announced that dinner was ready.

I shuffled after them mechanically, deep in thought.

This future was great. Should I really risk it?

 **This chapter was _so incredibly difficult to write_ for some reason! I spent almost half of the time that I writing this just staring at the paper, wondering where the hell I was going with the chapter. But I really like the ending I gave it.**

 **So sorry for not updating in forever, but as I explained, this was extremely hard to write up.**

 **Please review!**


	32. Chapter 32

We ate in companionship. Every single person that sat around the dining room table was happy in some manner and most offered something to the conversation, except for Len, but that was because the man seemed to have a lot on his mind at the moment. Everyone said something at some moment and I was amused to see that my little sister tried to join in the conversation by babbling and pointing whenever she felt like it.

This was not fair.

Why did this happen to me? Why was I cursed to go into the future and see the wonderful people my family became with a lack of me in their lives?

It's true what they say: Life isn't fair. But... That phrase isn't strong enough to explain my pain.

Everybody cries because everybody hurts. But most people have _normal_ problems to deal with. Not even _Robin_ had ever had to deal with the weight of knowing the fate of your family if you weren't around... No one else in the world was faced with my situation.

Long ago I had begun to doubt my faith, even though my parents were both devout Catholics. It wasn't that I didn't believe in God, I still wanted to with all my heart... But I _had_ begun to doubt just why the world was the way it was. I still wanted to believe in God, I truly wanted to...

It was just hard to believe in an all-powerful, all-seeing entity that allowed children to get abused and hundreds of people to get raped every single day.

"You okay, wallaby?"

I had been so busy thinking about how horrible my life was at the moment that I had not noticed the lull in the conversation. I had been pretty preoccupied jabbing my fork at the food on my plate to notice that all eyes had turned to me.

"Yeah, of course." I lied with a soft smile forming on my face, even though it didn't quite feel like a real, believable smile. "Why would you think otherwise?"

None of them were convinced by the smile. Every single one of them looked at me with their own interpretation of an 'I don't believe you' face, but I couldn't really bring myself to try and explain anything to them.

Who were they to want to understand my personal problems? They _wanted_ me to go back to the past just to have _their_ Wally back. But I wasn't sure that I would be able to do any good...

Had my life ever _not_ been complicated?

Up until a few hours ago, my biggest inner dilemma was keeping my abuse hidden from my friends. Comparing that to what was warring inside me now... Well... Compared to having to decide between having a good future or screwing everything up, feeling guilty for lying to my friends seemed like mere child's play. Delusions of a grandiose teenager that believed he deserved much more than he really did.

A tense silence fell over all of us as I refused to say anything else, but, much to my shock, my father sighed heavily and began to get up from the table. His brown eyes were filled with determination and I found my chest begin to constrict in worry.

What was he up to?

"Well... Now that we have Wally back for one last time, I have something I want to say..." After he said this, he looked directly at me and smiled sadly, "Kid, I took you for granted back when I still had you... This year without you... All the changes we've been forced to make... They really put everything into perspective... You were everything a father could ever ask for and I just blew it all away." He choked on tears now and brought his hand up to cover his face, "I want to apologize for every single mistake I ever made, for every single thing I did that caused you harm, and for... For letting you down whenever you needed me most..."

My eyes were wide as he apologized. Who would have expected Rudolph West to ever apologize to the very scene he had been abusing for years now? Who would have thought the man would ever be able to get over his pride to actually notice the mistakes he had committed?

I never would have thought he would be apologizing, but... I had to remind myself of something important. This wasn't _my_ father. This was a future version of him that had to go a year without a teenage punching bag.

Then, if he wasn't _my real father_ , why did my eyes fill with tears? Why did I get all choked up at the earnest emotions he was admitting to? Why did I allow myself to _feel?_

"Dad..." I whispered, slowly beginning to shake my head. "... No..."

"I failed you when you needed me the most, son, and that is a crime I will never be able to repent for!" Without any real reason to, he slammed his hands onto the table and made everyone jump, including my baby sister. "You very well know what I did, son! And I am sorry for it!"

Was he... No. He couldn't be. He couldn't possibly be apologizing for the abuse. He could not be trying to cover up all of the years of pain and misery he had brought upon me just because he had not been okay with his life.

Instead of being touched by his words, instead of finally feeling some type of closure at my father finally admitting he had been wrong, I grew angered. Instead of my eyes softening, they became harder and I glared at him. And instead of telling him that everything was okay with a soft smile on my face, I sneered at him and threw myself up from the chair.

"No! No, no, no, no, and _no!_ You are _not_ going to do this to me now, Dad! Not now!" I shouted without much control, something inside of me snapping at his disgusting display of emotions. "You have _no_ right! Not after _everything_ you put me through to keep your secret! Don't you fucking dare apologize after you fucked me over so royally!"

"Wallace, calm down!" My uncle instructed immediately, standing up as well to make his own show of power. "How can you speak to your father in that manner? After everything you put us all through!"

Everything _I_ put them through?! Every single thing I had ever done was a consequence of everything _my parents_ had ever done to me! If they had never laid a hand on me, I never would have wanted to go out to party! And if I had never gone to that party then... Then... Then none of the bad things I had done would have ever happened.

"Everything _I've_ done!?" I shouted out with a lack of control I had only ever faced a few times before in my life. And that lack of control had only ever happened when around adults males that reminded me of my father... What the hell was wrong with me?

Tears sprung to my eyes then and I shook my head, "Everything I have ever done was a reaction to everything _they_ ever did to _me!_ "

My body shook, tears fell freely, and I felt as if I ground my teeth any harder they would turn to dust.

I couldn't understand why I was so angry, but I knew I just was.

Why did I feel this way? Why did I feel like my father was a disgusting piece of shit now that he had apologized? Maybe it was because, deep inside of myself, I respected my father for all the abuse he threw onto me because I knew he was a strong man with equally strong morals and reasoning behind his actions... Maybe, just maybe, him apologizing to me meant that he had been _wrong_ in hurting me. And if he had been wrong in hurting me, then _I_ had been wrong in covering up everything he had ever done to me.

His apologizing meant that everything I had worked so hard to keep hidden the past few years were for completely nothing. They were wasted years living under a mean man that only hurt me because he wanted to, not because he needed to show me my place.

If he was wrong, then I was wrong. And I couldn't admit to being wrong. Not after all the things I had done, the bridges I had burned, the people I had damaged unwittingly.

"No! I will _not_ accept this apology, you worthless piece of shit!" I shouted out uncontrollably, all the while I ignored the cries of fear of my sister and the gasps and other noises of shock that came from those around me. "You may be fucking repentant, but I will _never forgive you!_ "

"What in the world is going on?" My aunt gasped out in a whisper, but I ignored her. Just like I ignored my uncle's scathing look when he moved to hug my aunt's shoulders.

"Do you think that a few tears and nice words will wash away the years of pain you put me through? Do you think that just because you suddenly had an epiphany that made you see the light..." I stopped then.

My eyes had fallen on James. The blonde was looking at me with wide and fearful eyes. He was just as shocked as everyone else in the room. But there was something about the usually happy and hyper teenager suddenly looking so distraught that made the words in my throat choke and my mouth clamp shut.

None of this was fair.

Life wasn't fair.

But why did I have to live through all of this? Why must I face my abuser in a future that would be wiped away the very second I stepped into the time machine that had brought me here? Why must I have to know that I had lived a guilty life for absolutely no reason?

If my father repented, he was wrong to have abused me.

"I..." I gasped out, trembles beginning to rock my body uncontrollably. "This is not fair. Years upon _years_ of pain, deceit, and lies... And all for what? I had lied to my friends and family, I had pushed those that cared about me away, and it had all been to keep my parents protected from the police. To keep _myself_ safe from the system that I know doesn't work... For what?"

"Answer me!" I yelled at my father, but shook my head and wrapped my arms around myself, drawing into myself, "I lied to my friends... I hurt those closest to me... I relied on alcohol and sex to be my escape when my life got too difficult. And now I feel like a piece of shit of a human being for being so self-destructive... Yet none of what I did was worth it... Not with you repenting now..."

"Wally, please." My mother stood now and seemed as if she were to rush to me, but Rory stopped her before she could take a step forward. "What are you doing? Let me console my son!" She demanded.

But Rory's face was deathly serious when he glared down at her, "Console? Lady, sit your ass back down before you cause Wally to go into another panic attack."

"Panic attack?" My uncle asked, looking at Rory with shocked eyes. "You've seen this before? This type of behavior from Wally?"

Len rose slowly, and I tried my best to keep my gaze averted from his own- his eyes spoke of volumes of understanding yet sternness and I knew that he was the one person in this room smart enough to piece everything together without blowing up as soon as he did- and his voice was chilly as he spoke.

"More than once." He informed my uncle, and I shouted out, "Please don't, Len! Please don't tell him anything!"

I wanted to run over to him to stop him, to maybe knock him out or something, but my body was moving too uncontrollably. All I could do was just stand in the same spot and hope that I didn't burn myself through the floor.

When he glared at me, I knew that no amount of pleading would stop him from speaking. So I just bowed my head and sniffled quietly as tears continued to fall down my cheeks.

"Us Rogues have known Wally for quite some time, Barry. And we take pride in the fact that we are a family, even with the non-official Rogue members. You and Wally included." His gaze moved away from me then and I was able to breathe. "We're not dopes, Allen, you know that. And we sure aren't blind either. Wally's been showing signs of being abused for some time, you've just blindly ignored them."

"What do you mean, Len?" My aunt asked, then I turned to see my father seated on the table with his head down, my sister sobbing still, and my mother struggling to get loose of Rory's grip. But the Rogue wasn't letting up.

"His parents abuse him, Iris." Len answered simply, then pointed over at my mother, "That caring mother that only seemed to ever want to give her kid good things allowed her husband to beat him into a bloody pulp whenever he felt like it!"

"Do you have any evidence?" My uncle asked in a tense and serious voice that I immediately knew as the one he only used for the most dangerous of situations.

 _I_ was a dangerous situation. I still am.

"Do we." James jumped up now and ran over to my uncle, "Please, Mr. Allen, you didn't see him that night."

"What night?"

Hartley spoke up now, his eyes on me as he spoke slowly, softly, as if he were afraid I would run away at any moment. "The night he begged Len to not hit him."

I cringed at the reminder of how violently I had reacted that one confrontation, then a sob escaped my mouth without my permission.

All eyes were on me again but I couldn't stop myself. Another sob left me, then another, then another, and in no time I was sobbing completely, tears streaming so fast down my face that they could only really be coming from a speedster.

The weight of everything I had done hit me then. The weight of all the lies I had said and all the stupid actions I had taken just fell on me. And because of this sudden weight, my knees buckled and I fell onto the floor. And once I was there, I rested both my arms on the floor along with my forehead and just allowed myself to cry and cry.

At one point James and Hartley had made their way over to me, but I didn't even acknowledge them as I continued to cry.

"I'm so sorry."

That was the only thing I could think of saying. Over and over again I repeated that phrase like a mantra. If I said it, then maybe someday I'd be able to forgive myself for everything I had put my family through. And all for what? For a man that was in reality some sniveling coward that knew what he was doing was wrong.

If only he had not apologized. If only he had remained firm in his stance that every time he hurt me, it was for my own good. If only he had not admitted to his guilty... Then maybe I wouldn't feel like the greatest piece of shit on the planet Earth.

 **Please review.**


	33. Chapter 33

At one point during my sobbing, I had been taken to one of the rooms in my uncle's house and allowed to rest.

They most probably thought I was too fragile to function. Now that they knew that my parents had abused me, undoubtedly my family thought I was much too broken to do anything good.

Which was a good thing, because I really needed the silence and to be alone to deal with my thoughts.

My father regretted having hurt me, which meant that he had been wrong in hurting me. All the lies I had formulated to keep my parents safe had been for nothing and I had wasted years of my life wallowing in pain and misery.

Back when I was ten years old, the first time I had received a horrible beating my mother told me I had asked for it. Thinking back on that moment, I guess that it was then that I began a horrible pattern of rationalizing the abuse. Ever since then I had told myself that every single time my mother insulted me or my father hit me, it was because I had done something stupid that warranted the punishment.

I was so fucked up psychologically that I had actually thought abuse was normal!

And I would have continued thinking that way if it weren't for my father apologizing.

But... Did I want to tell on my parents?

With a heavy sigh, I rolled around on the bed and looked up at the ceiling, only to find it bare and dark.

Uncle Barry's face... I had barely focused on him when I began to shout at my father. Then I was too busy crying to pay any mind to him.

Yet, when I was taken to this room, it was my uncle who carried me. And as he carried me, I could feel how tense and completely angered he was just from his tightly his body was coiled. He made no sound as he left me in the room, but I knew Uncle Barry. He only really kept quiet when he was deep in thought.

He had been the one person to insist that my parents were completely innocent. From the first day, he had always thought of my parents as the good people they portrayed themselves to be and didn't doubt at all their intentions or what they might have done behind closed doors. Even though he would have undoubtedly been questioned by Bruce, Ollie, and Hal, he still maintained that my parents would never hurt me.

How had this hit him? How had it hit my aunt?

"They must have felt like fools..." I breathed out, no longer crying because I had just about run out of tears. "Six fucking years of getting hurt and they never noticed anything was wrong with their only nephew..."

By admitting to the abuse, my father had opened up a floodgate that would never be closed again. How horrid must my aunt and uncle feel now knowing that they allowed me get abused for so long? Did they hate themselves? Did they regret ever having stood in my parents corner?

I didn't hate them. Actually, they had been my greatest allies during this whole ordeal, even though they had no idea about it. By them being so blind, I was able to get away with the abuse for so long. They had been the reason why I was able to keep the lies hidden for so long.

My big fears had been proven right today, though. The Rogues _had_ known about the abuse. They had just kept quiet to try and acquire more proof. Just like Bruce and Ollie.

How had I allowed my life to spin so out of control?

Everything began to go down hill with that one party. If I had not gone to the first one I was ever invited to, then none of the series of events that took place would have happened. I would not have gotten drunk and my father would not have beat me so bad I fell down the stairs. If I had not fallen down the stairs, I would not have wound up in the hospital and nobody would have known I had gotten hurt. And so on and so forth.

Now that time was a malleable thing, there were so many courses of action I could take.

I could go back into the past and stop myself from going into that party, which would most probably ensure that I stayed in an abusive household with my lips tightly shut without anyone ever finding out. But my dad had admitted he was wrong. And knowing he was wrong to hurt me... I don't think I could ever take another beating of his again without lashing out dangerously at him.

At the same time, I could go far into the past and stop my mother from ever meeting my father and... No. That was too far. The world needed a Kid Flash. I had to be born.

But that didn't mean I couldn't go back and tell past me that he should tell the police about his parents hurting him and just avoid ever becoming the horrible human being I was now...

No. I couldn't do any of that. I knew how the time stream progressed until a certain point and I should not mess with that. I had no idea how horrible the future might end up if I changed anything in the past so the only thing I could really do was go back to my own present and denounce my parents for their crimes.

Yet now arose a new question.

Did I really want to give my parents up? The people I knew in this future were undoubtedly different from the ones I knew and loved from my own time period. These people were outcomes of their own realities. By going back to my correct time period, I would basically be wiping away this reality and, therefore, whatever these people had lived through and their psyches.

If I went back to my time, it was very likely that my father would never see the error of his ways. And if he didn't then maybe the abuse would have been worth it... Besides, I had a little sister on the way. I couldn't just let her fall into the hands of a cold system.

Because after all the years of lies and deceit, my uncle and aunt would not want to take care of me. But that wouldn't be bad because I only had two more years to wait until I became a legal adult and then I could just leave whatever orphanage I was sent to after my parents were incarcerated and...

I groaned loudly now and shook my head. This time travel business was giving me a headache. This abuse business was causing me to just want to stop living for a moment and just not think anymore.

What was I to do?

Without a doubt, I'd be sneaking out of here in a few minutes without telling anyone I left to head over to the time machine. I didn't want to face these future doppelgangers anymore. I couldn't face them anymore.

I had to choose course and stick with it. I couldn't leave my fate up to anybody. I had to make sure I did what I needed to do to get the results I wanted.

And the first step to that was to figure out if I wanted to out my parents or not. I still loved them. I loved them as much as I had before. But was that love really right? They had become amazing parents in the past few months and I barely felt bad around them anymore, but would that last? Would they hurt my little sister if they ever felt the need to?

They could.

I wished they couldn't, I hoped that my parents would have learned something from the recess they took from hurting me, but... As I once heard a wise person tell me once: 'Once a cheater, always a cheater.' Once an abusive parents, always an abusive parent. No matter how much I wished they would change, they wouldn't. At least, not without the proper help.

I had been so blinded because of my own self-hate that I had barely thought about what must have been wrong with parents for them to hurt me. I just filed all of the abuse under 'I deserve it' so I never actually questioned their own motivations for hurting me.

This Rudy had made me realize that I had been a fool. I had been an idiot clinging to a made up fantasy that made absolutely no sense.

And my friends and other family members had all wanted to help me and get me the help I needed to get out of my rut.

I had been a fool that ignored my friends to try and keep my family together.

Sighing once more, I sat up on the bed and stood up.

I had decided what I would do.

With a heavy heart, I made my way over to the window and opened it, only to jump out and roll once my feet hit the floor. Then, once I was safely on the ground, I ran all the way towards the Rogues' base without so much as a second thought about this future version of my family and friends.

Once I arrived at the base, I found the time machine right where I had left it, and I cringed at the thought of having wanted to murder Zoom. Always my emotions seemed to take control of my body and override my rationalization skills. Maybe I _did_ need to talk to some mental health professional to get me to the root of my problems.

As I calibrated the machine, I couldn't help but feel tears sting my eyes once more.

Richard, Roy, Bruce, Ollie, Hal, my whole team, all of my friends... They had all wanted to help me in some way. Yet I had denied most of them their assistance and only really listened to three people, Mike, Ike, and Kate. I had forsaken my old friends for these new ones because these new ones gave me access to alcohol.

I had burned so many bridges to keep my family intact...

Breathing in deeply, I made sure I had the correct date inputted into the machine, then turned it on.

This trip was less fascinating and eventful because of a distinct lack of Zoom. I enjoyed the silence. It gave me more time to think.

Admitting the abuse would affect a lot of lives, not only my own. My aunt and uncle would be hurt, my friends would look at me differently, and the rest of the people around me would be affected differently.

If I opened the gates of the knowledge of my abuse, a flood of repercussions would come gushing out. And I'm not sure if those repercussions would be completely worth it in the end.

What if my aunt and uncle divorced because they blamed one another? What if my friends stopped wanting to hang around me because they would only see me as some broken shell? What social services took me clear away from Kansas and I wound up in some ditch somewhere, dead because of an overdose?

Thinking was my enemy. The more I thought, the more I dreaded coming to a decision.

But soon enough I arrived at my correct time period and I found my Uncle and friends tied down in the way I had left them, completely safe and unscathed, while the timer on the clock was in zero. Zoom had played me like a fiddle.

I took one step forward and out of the machine, only to find a green construct suddenly come flying in through the door, followed by a clearly livid Green Lantern and a worried Superman.

"Kid Flash!" Hal shouted as his eyes fell upon me immediately, then he rushed towards me with wide eyes. "The Rogues told us about Zoom's plan. Are you alright?"

As he fussed over me, Superman made sure that Uncle Barry, James, and Hartley were all okay and I couldn't help but smile softly.

"I'm alright, Hal... I just managed to jump forward in time to a future I don't think I ever want to see..."

"Oh, really?" He asked with a quirked brow, "I guess that explained the civvies."

I nodded dumbly, chanced a glance at my uncle, who was busy untying the cloth around his mouth, then closed my eyes and breathed in deeply. This was it. This was my chance to better my life.

Breathing out, I looked at Hal and whispered, "Hal, I need to tell you something important... _Alone_..." I stressed that word a lot, which made him blink at me in slight surprise.

"Uh... Sure, kid..."

And that was the only thing he was able to say before my uncle was right beside me, asking me just what the hell was wrong with me and what had possessed me into jumping after Zoom like I had.

To tell the truth, this Uncle Barry was a lot better than the on in the future.

As he scolded me, I couldn't help but smile broadly and hug him tightly, which caused him to stop scolding me and look down at me in shock.

"Walls?" He asked dumbly, and I shook my head softly.

"Don't ever change Uncle Barry... I love you the way you are..."

With slight trepidation, his arms slowly wrapped around my back, "Sure thing, Wally... Just where did you go?"

"A world that would never be home..." I answered, then smiled up at him, "I love things just the way they are."

I would tell Uncle Hal what I needed to once we were alone. But now I would hug my uncle and apologize to James and Hartley because I just needed that bit of closure in my life.

 **And we're finally getting close to the end of this story! After what seems like a whole year- exaggeration, I know, but exaggeration is my shtick!- of writing this story, it is finally drawing to a close. And what a finale it will be!**

 **Hope y'all enjoyed it!**


	34. Chapter 34

A soft sigh escaped Wally's lips as he leaned back in his chair, moving his hand to comb it through his wild red hair as he did so. He sat comfortably on Hal's medium sized couch, which was soft enough to be comforting, but strong enough for the boy to be sinking in, and Hal sat in front of him, across the coffee table, on a simple recliner.

The man's lips were pursed and his eyes were trained directly on the red head while his hands were clasped firmly together beneath his chin, while his elbows rested on his knees. He was looking straight at the boy, analyzing him with a critical eye. His jacket had been thrown to the couch about three or so hours ago, back when Wally was still building the confidence to speak to him, and now he sat in a simple pair of jeans and his work shirt.

Wally had come to him straight after his work. At first, the man had not minded the boy's eagerness to talk to him. But about ten minutes into the boy's conversation, Hal had regretted not bathing before turning to pay his full attention to the boy.

"And... I guess that's when I decided to tell you..." The red head finished lamely, a half hearted smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he kept his gaze on the older man.

A beat of silence passed after that, one in which neither male spoke up or moved, then Hal finally brought his hands down with a shake of his head and breathed out heavily.

"That's... That's quite the story, Walls..." He commented incredulously, then took a glance at the clock on his wall to see that they had spent quite some time speaking. "Took you better part of five hours to finish your tale."

The boy smiled softly at him, green eyes shining slightly. Before, Hal would have only really seen happiness and soft sorrow in those eyes. Now, though, that he knew just about everything that had happened in the past few months, he saw a lot more in those emerald eyes. He could see so much strength in them now. Strength no sixteen year old should ever have to muster up.

Love, pain, misery, pride, respect, and so many more emotions were a few fleeting ones he managed to see flash across Wally's eyes before they disappeared to be replaced by another emotion... This kid sure was something.

He was left speechless now. The man had no idea what he could say at the moment.

Wally would never lie to him about everything he had just told the man. The kid would never come up with such an intricate and almost convoluted story just for the heck of lying. No, everything the boy had told Hal must have been true. And the pure, unadulterated proof that not even the Bat or Ollie could have picked up on.

"You are one heck of a liar."

Hal winced softly as soon as those words left him. They came out harsher than he had meant them to.

But instead of growing angered, Wally only smiled softly at him and nodded.

"I can thank the masks I wear for that. Oh, and my mom and dad. As I'm sure you were able to pick up, they are some fine actors for me to be able to have this much talent within me."

It sicked Hal slightly that the kid was smiling as if what he were telling Hal was nothing amazing. His demeanor spoke of being completely relaxed, as if they were talking about the weather or the latest ice hockey game rather than Wally's turbulent teenage years.

Those masks. Hal did not like the idea of the kid having to lie every single time he left his home... But it couldn't be avoided. They were defense mechanisms for a clearly hurt boy. They were a comfort. And he wasn't about to call the boy out on them.

One protected him while in front of his friends. The other protected him when confronted with a dangerous situation where he needed to lie.

"You... I can't... Your parents..." Hal found himself in a jumble. No words came to his mind. No sentence wanted to be formed. He only seemed able to make random noises.

Wally smiled over at him once more and Hal noted that the boy was taking this too well. It honestly worried him.

"I'm telling you, Hal, because I decided that I really can't deal with a future like the one that I saw... Neither could I deal with the backlash that would come from it coming out that I was abused." He stopped then, his smile becoming bitter, "I mean, I can just imagine how Uncle Barry could take it... Or, even worse, Aunt Iris..." Then he shook his head, "No. I don't want to think about how she might react if she ever finds out that her big brother hurts her nephew."

Hal could get this point. Barry would not take the news well, but Iris would put on a brave front. The woman was no pushover, nor was she weak, so she'd be the kind of woman that would stand by her husband in trying to rebuilt their nephew's life. But he could just imagine all the pain that would come from knowing that her brother was an abuser. Not only the pain, but the embarrassment and shame.

Even though they had a strong marriage, Hal wasn't completely sure if it would be able to withstand the destructive blow that would undoubtedly come from knowing they stood by in ignorance while their only nephew was hurt by his parents.

"I don't want people to think I'm _weak_." Wally spit the word out, eyes lowering so he looked down at his joined hands, that were holding onto each other a bit too tightly. "They would just see me as another victim. I know my friends... They might care, but they would not sympathize. They would pity me. And I... After _all_ that I have been through... I just _can't_ have them looking at me with that stupid belief of me being weak!"

Hal's eyes softened slightly at the sight of Wally curling slightly into himself at that idea, then he breathed out and shook his head once more.

"But why tell me, kid? I could easily blow the whistle on your parents whenever I feel like it."

Hal had expected the boy to look at him with pleading eyes. Maybe even with anger in them. But he certainly did not expect the boy to smile so wickedly at him.

"I've already taken care of just about everything, Hal... Do you think I'm a fool? After everything I have told you, do you still really believe I am anything like the dumb boy everyone seems to believe I am?" He asked with an almost cocky tone, then the boy leaned back into the couch once more, throwing his arms around the back. "I'm telling you all this because I trust you, Uncle Hal."

Inwardly, Hal cringed at being called that. The kid knew just which buttons to press to get him to listen. After all he had heard, Hal was really beginning to wonder if Wally was secretly a Bat.

"Through everything that has happened since October, I've noticed that it really is easier to get through hardship with a shoulder to cry on, an ear to listen to you... I can't really tell any of my friends about this because they'd just rat my parents out in the name of justice or whatever... But you, _you know me._ You won't snitch just because you want my parents behind bars. No, you care for my well being a lot more than you do about supposed justice." Now the boy adopted a goofy smile, which, to Hal, seemed very out of place with the tense atmosphere they had been engulfed by. "You were the only one willing to listen to me before... Why not again?"

Hal looked at the boy for a second, then huffed and nodded dejectedly. The kid knew him.

"I should have known my pleasant disposition would get me in trouble at some point..." He remarked, which made Wally actually chuckle, but the boy soon sobered and continued to explain.

"I need you to be there for the days when the nightmares become too much for me to bear on my own. I need you to be there when I make a misstep and go to a party so you can be the wall of protection from an angry yet misguided Uncle Barry. And I need you to be there to take me out for ice cream whenever you deem me too quiet to seem like myself... Uncle Hal, I need you to be there for me when no one else can."

The words were said with a heavy weight attached to them. Hal knew it must have taken a lot of Wally to admit those things, especially after hearing about the lengths he had gone to to keep his life a secret.

"I know it's selfish..." Wally's voice become softer now, sadder, "But I can't ask this of anyone else... No one else would understand..."

At this confession, another beat of silence between them both passed. Hal was thinking heavily on everything he had heard.

Wally was literally putting his life on the line because he believed that his Uncle Hal would protect him where everyone else unknowingly failed him. The boy was trusting that Hal would not call the police in a heart beat to denounce the crimes his parents had committed. And not only that, but he was also hoping against hope that Hal would be his rock when the kid's own foundation began to crumble.

"How..." Hal had to clear his voice when he found his voice coming out almost broken, as if close to crying, "How do you expect your parents to behave? They are, after all, the people that have beat you merciless for years now."

Yeah... This was a way to get through to Wally. If the kid could not guarantee his safety, then Hal could argue that in his best interest, he would have to tell _someone_ to keep him and his unborn sister safe. But the smirk Wally sent the man's way made Hal feel that this plan would be stonewalled, just like the others he had managed to come up with in the time he had heard Wally's story.

"I talked to my parents." Wally stated simply, waving his hand dismissively. "I don't know if you haven't noticed, Uncle Hal... But I'm a speedster. I literally run laps around my competition. And, yeah, I succumbed to my parents hits before. But that was before I found out that my father was wrong. That was back when I was still terrified of my parents because of a childish fear I dragged on to my teenage years..." And when he looked at Hal now, the man could see a steely type of determination taking over any emotions. "I told my parents how the house would run from now on."

Wally stood up at that moment and walked over towards the window to his right, looking out at the night sky.

"I figured out that I am a broken and traumatized individual... But just because I'm broken does not mean I have to get broken open over and over again... Future dad was weak and begged for forgiveness... Truth be told, I couldn't deal with knowing that my dad was wrong with hurting me... But this dad doesn't feel that way. He feels that he hurt me for a good reason. And as long as he believes that, I can believe that all of my lies were worth it." A smile found its way onto his face once more and Hal felt slightly sick at the boy's words. "But they won't hurt me anymore. Or my sister. They only have one strike, and as soon as either of them raises their hand to me or my sister, they know the cops will come without hesitation."

"So what? That's how you want this story to end?" Hal asked, standing up suddenly with a bit of anger in his system. "Your parents hurt, abused, and traumatized you for years and you allow them to get off Scott free?"

Wally did not turn to Hal. He kept his gaze on the night sky.

"Why punish what I deemed to not be crimes?" He asked softly, his voice taking on a thoughtful tone. "You see, Hal, no matter how sick and twisted it might seem, I honestly feel that my parents were okay in hurting me... It made me into the smart kid I am today. Everything they put me through only made me stronger in the end... And I honestly believe that sometimes it was completely justified."

Now he turned to face Hal, a sad look over his face, "Yeah, it's child abuse. But there's no crime if there's no victim, is there? They know the rules now, they'll follow them, there's no reason to drag their good name through the mud just because of past mistakes." Then he sighed and scratched at the back of his head, "Besides, would it really be worth putting me through all the perils of court just to get them behind bars? To me it just doesn't seem like a fair trade off."

For a moment, Hal internalized everything he had heard. Then he spoke up.

"You keep your home, your friendship with those Central kids, a slightly decent relationship with the Rogues and your team, and stay at your house all for the price of not having to give up what's left of your mental sanity..." He inhaled heavily, then closed his eyes tightly and made his way over to Wally. "God help me... I think I'm going to agree to this horrible plan."

He was enveloped into a hug in less than a second.

As he hugged the boy tightly, he could feel Wally's smile pushing against his chest.

And even though he knew that if anyone ever found out about this deal, he would face a backlash worse than Wally or his family ever would, Hal couldn't help but be completely persuaded into listening to Wally.

To him, it all made sense.

Instead of making Wally go through a public trial to get his parents put in jail, he would live with his parents in complete peace and safety. Instead of having his friends and family see them any differently, the small family unit would continue living in the complacency they had managed to create. And instead of possibly worsening Wally's already fragile mental state by separating the kid from his family, Hal would help him slowly but surely get onto the good road.

This all seemed so sick and wrong and twisted... Yet the kid's argument and logic had convinced him.

"If ever I think your dad is about to do anything-" He began to threaten, but Wally shook his head.

"No need to worry yourself with that, Hal. If he does anything, I'll tell everyone. But until then... I'd much rather keep my family together and well. I have a little sister on the way... I want her to grow up with her parents. Not with some foster parent."

Hal looked down at the kid and found such sincerity in those green eyes that he couldn't help but believe that the kid knew what he was doing.

With a heavy sigh, Hal ruffled the kid's hair and smiled softly at him, "As long as you think you know what you're doing... And, Wally, I'm holding you to the promise of coming to me whenever life gets too hard. The minute anything makes you feel like shit, you run to me and tell me everything... I don't want you getting into the kind of trouble that might land you being forced to attend sessions with Dinah again."

Wally smiled broadly as he nodded rapidly, "Believe me, Hal, I don't want that to happen ever again."

"Good." Hal crossed his arms with a huff, then looked around his small apartment and looked at the time.

It was ten at night. Wally's family knew he'd be sleeping over at Hal's apartment so he didn't have to worry about anybody looking for the idiot.

"There's going to be questions from the Rogues..."

"I'll deal with them." Wally answered with a determined nod.

"And Ollie and the Bat are still worried."

"My parents won't do anything else. They have no reason nor any evidence other than the hospital records from that one broken arm debacle. They have no case, Uncle Hal."

Hal nodded softly, "And your aunt and uncle will wonder about your sudden mood change."

He received a cheeky grin in response, "And that is easily answered by me being back with my parents, my amazing dog, Apache, and with a soon to be little sister... Talking about Apache... He can stay the night in my bed, right?"

The question made Hal look over at the sleeping dog at the foot of the couch, then shook his head with a soft sigh. "Sure... Just make sure that there aren't any messes."

"I promise, Hal." The kid told him with a mock salute, then a comfortable silence fell over them as Wally looked at the softly snoring animal.

What he had agreed to, Hal wasn't sure. But it was good to see Wally smile earnestly once more.

"Want to go for some ice cream?" He asked suddenly, which made Wally perk up, all the while Apache's ears did as well.

"Of course!"

And in no time Hal found himself walking down the streets of Star with a hyperactive red headed teenager bursting with excitement and conversation while the kid's dog bounded after him in a show of equal energy.

This secret was not going to be easy to keep, the man mused as the trio made their way towards the ice cream shop both he and Wally loved. But he would try his best if it kept Wally being himself.

Because, really, that's all Wally needed to not lie. Someone that would listen, but not judge. Someone that would sympathize, but not pity. Someone like his Uncle Hal.

 **What did you all think? This is the definite end of the story, no more chapters shall be posted and I highly doubt there will be sequel. So, please, don't ask for sequels.**

 **But, if the demand is enough, I will post an explanation as to why I chose this ending.**

 **Please review!**


	35. Explanation

**As I said I probably would do, I've decided to write up a quick explanation for the ending of _The Bonds that Hold._**

 **But before I get to the explaining, I would like to give a huge thank you to every single person that ever happened to come across this story and decide it was worth the read. After _Watch me Burn,_ I honestly think this has been one of my most emotionally draining stories and certainly not one of the easiest that I have ever gotten around to writing. So thank you for all of the reviews, favorites, follows, and reads because, quite frankly, this story would most probably not have been finished without your enthusiasm and love.**

 **Now, on to the explanation itself.**

 **Wallace Rudolph West is not right in the head. He's a sixteen year old that has been abused for the past six or so years- if my math is correct by my own timeline- and has had to form reasons as to why he gets hurt even though he knows that it is not right.**

 **Aside from not being all good up in the noggin, he also loves his family very much. Let's not forget that he had a pretty good and average childhood up until he was ten. At was in that year that his father first hit him, but before that he had a regular connection with his parents like any average child.**

 **He loves his family and doesn't want to be separated from them. Heck, he even went into a small spiral of depression for a few chapters when he was taken away from what he believes is his home. And that added to the fact that, in his sick mind, he believes the abuse is justified, makes his final decision make actual sense.**

 **Actually, all in all, Wally chose to stay with his mother and father in the end because he is a broken teenager. All he knows is his parents and he would never want to risk losing that. He also has a younger sister about to come into the world and he doesn't want to put her through the perils of foster adoptions. In his mind, his aunt and uncle nor any of his relatives or friends would want to adopt him, much less her. This may not make sense to the reader, but seeing how Wally is a rather broken kid and its his story, his thoughts are the only things that truly matter.**

 **There's also the fact that he doesn't want to be seen differently by his friends. To come out with the abuse story would be to open a chest of dangerous demons that Wally does not want anyone to know about. Why? Because he has come across victims of child abuse before. And just like everyone around him, he has pitied them. He does not want to feel that pity directed at him. This, actually, is his main reason to keep the abuse a secret. He does not want anyone to see him any differently and knows that no matter how good intentioned his friends might be, they would still see him as some fragile flower that needs to be taken care of rather than the strong teenage hero they have come to know him as. He believes they would change their views of him in no time and he despises that idea.**

 **Maybe that doesn't make much sense to the reader because we know that people don't change that easily, but that's what Wally believes. And, really, that's all that I can really put into the story because it was mostly written in his point of view.**

 **Then there's the whole 'Hal is actually keeping this a secret?! The hell!'. I have a completely valid explanation for this, if you'd care to read a bit more.**

 **The reason as to why I chose this ending is more than just because I wanted shock value. Quite frankly, when I started writing this, my first idea was to just kill Wally off at the end. Or have him accidentally cause his mother's miscarriage which in turn brought a beating so bad that he _had_ to tell someone about it. But the more time I spent writing this story, the more I noticed that those endings just did not mesh with what I had written. There was just something deep inside of myself that kept telling me that those endings would just not be the _right_ ending.**

 **While I spoke with a good friend of mind, EmbraceSadness- who is an amazing author on this site with only one real story, but galdang that story is amazing!- we were discussing our stories and ways to finish the ones we were currently busy on. And when I told her the endings I had thought of, she told me they were good. I just had to choose one that I really liked. But, as already explained, I just did not like it. And I told her why.**

 **Why did I not enjoy those endings? Because they are obvious. They are slightly clichéd. And because I know for a fact that they are what the readers expect. In an abuse story, everyone expects either a happy ending with the abused out of the dangerous environment and into a good new one, or a tragic ending with the abused dead.**

 **I've never been one for the overly tragic endings. I actually enjoy a fluffy and happy ending after making the characters go through hell. But that did not seem like the right path for this story. Then EmbraceSadness told me about how one of her stories ended in an interview. She didn't tell me much more about her own ending, but she sent me a small idea as to how I could finish my story in an interview manner. And through her help, I reached this ending.**

 **What I really enjoyed about writing this last chapter was the fact that it's not a happy ending, but it's not a sad one either. It's not really ambiguous, but it leaves just enough open room for a reader to think. What I really truly liked about this ending was the fact that it left Wally's future unsure. And by that I mean that you can create your own headcanon as to what happened.**

 **Sure, he told Hal and kept it a secret, but maybe in a few months his father raised his hand and Wally shouted at the heavens. Maybe he kept quiet and his sister grew up in a loving household with a caring older brother and amazing parents. Maybe he couldn't deal with the secrets and committed suicide a few months later... It's all up to you and your own thoughts.**

 **Now, back to Hal. I have no idea if you picked up on it, but all Hal wants is for Wally's well being. But he is also aware that before they get to fixing his mind, they have to put the kid back together. You can't help someone that doesn't want to be helped and if he pushed Wally into doing anything, they may have just lost the kid for good. In Hal's mind, he would have to get Wally into a comfortable position before trying anything drastic.**

 **Which is why he agreed to it. He agreed to leaving him with his parents because: one, he's assured he won't get hurt, and two, by leaving him there, he's not putting Wally's mind in any further jeopardy. And, in his mind, he'll be able to do more good while in Wally's good graces. He'll be able to listen and talk to the kid and bit by bit he'll get Wally to see that maybe calling the abuse out isn't a bad thing. Hal's in it more for Wally's well being than just the justice aspect of the whole situation, unlike Ollie and Bruce.**

 **There were reviews saying that this ending felt too open and unresolved to be an actual ending. But that's the thing, this is the greatest ending I could have come up with. Because it leaves everything open to just how you choose to see it's actual ending.**

 **Maybe this explanation was too long and bad at explaining most of the important points y'all wanted discussed, or maybe now you see things my way... But, really, all I really want you to know from all of this is that I _did not want to write another Wally abuse story where the ending can be seen from a mile away._ One reviewer actually pointed out the fact that this ending is not what is expected of a Wally abuse story. And that made me proud. Because that meant I had done my job. I did not want to make yet another Wally abuse story. No, I wanted to make my own. Which is why I finished it the way I did.**

 **So once more, thank you for bearing with me through the construction of this story and if you still don't agree with the ending, I understand. But I think it's perfect just the way it is.**

 **~Varmint**


End file.
